Thoughts on Ecclesiastes 1

After the service Sunday night, I was stopped by someone who had actually read the whole book of Ecclesiastes that afternoon! As we talked, we agreed that the book can be a bit of a downer at times. There is this ongoing theme that Solomon thinks that everything -- and I mean everything -- is truly meaningless (hebel).  My goal in this series is not to get everyone depressed but for us to name those places in our lives where we think things are meaningless -- and have them actually point and guide us to the gospel.

I believe with all of my heart that Solomon’s main issue is a problem with misplaced priorities. He is staring at everything that he deems meaningless through the lens of that very thing (e.g. work, family, etc.). But the beauty of the gospel is that if we look at our lives through the lens of Jesus things become full of meaning. 

Here are some of the questions and statements I threw out Sunday night. I would love to hear your feedback around them:

• How am I responding to the people in my life? Am I being short with them? Am I overly anxious about the circumstances in my life? Have they become more important to me than Jesus? Am I looking at them through a lens of wanting them to complete me...?

• What brings meaning to my work, family, fun, etc.?

The resolution is this: Jesus is the King that wants to lead our lives. He wants to infuse all the stuff of our life with meaning. It’s not okay to live in Ecclesiastes; God is calling us to something new and fresh – the love of Jesus Christ in everyday life.

I encourage you to read Ecclesiastes 2 this week, and join us Sunday night as we continue our summer series in Ecclesiastes.

Peace,
Brad Jackson
-BRAD JACKSON serves as Pastor for The Table at CPC

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