The Wisdom of a Threefold Strand - Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16

The Wisdom of a Threefold Strand - Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16

In seasons of severe suffering, we experience life at the extremities. We have mountaintop moments where we see farther and more clearly than ever before. We have days where we can say with full conviction, “God has made everything is beautiful in its time. I have eternity in my heart. I know God is sovereignly accomplishing his purposes. I can rest in Him.” And then there are deep valley moments where we are in the depth of despair, where nothing makes sense and everything is dark. As we turn to the second half of chapter 3, the Preacher enters the valley of despair once again. He’s looking at life horizontally, from the perspective of one “under the sun.” This is repeated five times. Over and over again, he writes “I saw” (6x) or “I said in my heart” (2x). He looks horizontally at the harsh realities of evil, injustice, and death, and then the mad foolishness of the human treadmill, and finds more reasons to say that everything is meaningless (5x). In his reflections, he oscillates between the extremities of deep faith conviction and very unsettling questions. How do you move forward when you don’t understand why God has made life this way? 1. The Harsh Realities of Evil, Injustice, and Death (3.16-4.3) 2. The Mad Foolishness of the Treadmill (4:4-8, 4:13-16). 3. The Wisdom of Bonded Relationship (4:9-12)

Beautiful In Its Time - Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Can you step back, look at the past year, and say, “Thank you, God. This was beautiful”? In 1965, the folk-rock band the Byrds recorded Pete Seeger’s "Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There is a Season”. The lyrics of the song follow the Preacher’s most famous poem, found here in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, almost word for word. The song topped the Billboard charts and became an anthem of the 1960s peace movement. Some fathers will remember. The thoughts and phrases of the Preacher’s poem have found their way into the language of our pop culture. It’s a beautifully balanced rhythmic lilt, 14 lines pitting actions and emotional states against their opposites and intended to include everything in between. What matters are not the 28 individual elements, but all the elements taken as a whole - the multiples of 7 symbolizing completion or perfection. Within the whole, we see a gentle ebb and flow of different moods and experiences. Some things we long for, others shock us.   Ecclesiastes 3 gifts us with a vision of the whole tapestry of life. We are invited to step back and look at life with all its rhythms and turns. For some of us this is difficult. For some, it may be too painful, too unsettling. The text invites us to … 1. Step Back to See the Whole 2. Embrace the Mystery of Longing to See it All 3. Revere the One Who Does Reflection Questions 1. Where are you on your spiritual journey today? * Are you wrestling with the barbed wire? * Are you grateful for the longing for eternity that God has placed in your heart? * Are you in a place of reverence and awe? * Are you grateful for God’s good gifts? * Are you trusting God to weave together the threads of your life? 2. How is God inviting you to respond to Him today?

Receiving What Cannot Be Taken Away - Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

Life is full and we give ourselves to so many people, pursuits, and passions. In the end, though, we know we will pass on and everything will be taken from us. How can we learn to enjoy and value the days we have? How does enjoying God change the joy we have in this life? 1. Wisdom can’t secure you. 2. Works can’t secure you. 3. God can secure you. Reflection Questions 1. What pursuits are stealing your joy? What would it look like for the gospel to put those pursuits back in submission to God’s good design? 2. What are you passing on to those who come after you – works that will fade, or an example of enjoying God in everyday living?

The Quest: Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

What am I supposed to do with my life? What’s the whole point of living anyway? These are the big questions of life raised by the author of Ecclesiastes. But his quest to find answers left him frustrated and disillusioned – he calls it an unhappy business that God has assigned to humanity. This was bound to be the case because his was a research project conducted ‘under the sun’ – an exploration made apart from God.  Nevertheless, his account of his futile quest has much to teach us. His seek-and-search mission for an answer to purpose of life led him to examine wisdom and knowledge, experiment with various forms of pleasure before throwing himself completely into work and the accumulation of wealth. But none provided the answer he was looking for. He was striving after the wind, and it left him empty. 1. The Futility of Human Wisdom 2. The Folly of Pleasure 3. The Failure of Production Reflection Questions 1. Reflect on a time when achieving a personal goal (e.g., career or academic success, a purchase) left you feeling empty. How does the author’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 2:11 challenge your view of earthly pursuits? 2. How can you intentionally experience life as God intended when faced with anxiety about unanswered questions or unmet desires? 3. Jesus’ words to his followers in Mark 8:34-37 directly address the big questions of meaning raised by the author of Ecclesiastes. How does Jesus’ message speak to you personally?

Getting It Wrong - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Arthur Brooks, in his new book, The Meaning of Your Life, argues that meaning has collapsed for many today. He writes, “If your life feels meaningless, you will be disengaged and unable to deal effectively with your problems. You will almost certainly be depressed and anxious. Your life will have a void to it.” You may try the salve of therapy or try to distract yourself with scrolling, gaming, academic pursuits, business dealings, relational pursuits, or whatever, but your life will still feel hollow. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes asks questions that speak to the three elements of meaning:  purpose (is there a goal I live toward?), coherence (how do the events of my life fit together?), and significance (what gives my life value?). The book can be difficult and unsettling, but it ponders questions relevant to all generations and cultures. The prologue sets the mood for the entire book. It sadly describes the reality of someone who is getting it wrong, who is unable to grasp life’s deeper meaning. 1. The Wrong Question 2. The Wrong Worldview 3. The Wrong Objective Reflection Questions 1. How would you define your life purpose? 2. How has your faith in Jesus enabled you to see the reason behind the events of your life, whether joyful or sorrowful?