“Truly a man, and a message, for our times”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, July 31, 2022
Ecclesiastes 1:2,12-14; 2:18-23 (Forward, p. 94) CEV p. 678
If ever there was someone who fits in with the tenor and the thinking of our present age—at least for many people—it is the unnamed philosopher identified in the preface as King Solomon—who penned this book. Basically, this book is a testimony of one person’s search for the meaning of life. To do so, he examines one area of life after another and, even with his great wisdom, finds each one devoid of any lasting or significant meaning or purpose.
In today’s section, he focuses on our work and on the fruits of our labour. He concludes that all of this is a total waste of time, as all the things that we worked so hard for will eventually pass on to the hands of someone else, someone else who didn’t work for it. How manifestly unfair, he decides. It is senseless and wrong. And who knows whether those recipients will make good use of it or not. And so, for this lousy outcome, we labour all day long, with only aching bones and muscles and restless sleep to show for it.
Our modern generation would add a caveat to this: we work so hard, and where does it go, but to the government. And who knows whether it will use it wisely or not. (Actually, many of us know all too well the answer to this question). So this is why wills and estate planning are so important, to exercise at least some direction as to where one’s life possessions will go.
But coming back to our philosopher king: what is his conclusion? He concludes that we should enjoy life, to enjoy eating, drinking and working. He concludes that these are God’s gifts to us to enjoy while we are here on earth. Anything else, he concludes, is merely something as useless and unproductive, as trying to chase after the wind.
So, what is my ‘take’ on this? Surely, that we should enjoy life, whether working or relaxing, and should enjoy our food and drink. But I would add a scenario that Solomon hasn’t yet mentioned. If we use our time and energy to benefit our community, and marshal and apply our material resources to do the same, we will see that these things are not wasted, not a matter of chasing after the wind. We will find, contrary to what our philosopher and so many people today think, that there is indeed a purpose and a meaning to life. Amen.
Forward notes: “Because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it” (chapter 2, verse 21a).
“Ecclesiastes is a challenging book; this week is the only time we read it in Sunday worship. Yet perhaps strangely, it’s one of my favorites. It makes sacred space for our ambivalence and disillusionment—the kind of feelings we might be ashamed to bring to God in prayer is right there on the page. Who wants to work hard for what they can’t enjoy? Who hasn’t felt bitterness? Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed by the suffering we can see in the world?
“God can handle our frustration and go with us there, but God won’t leave us there. In Luke’s Gospel [Luke 12:13-21], we hear that concentrating too much on what we believe we deserve throws us off course. Our view gets too narrow, and we can’t see God, others, or even ourselves clearly. To be God’s creation is to live for one another, just as Christ lived for all of us. With gratitude for our blessings now, we can try to let our love and labour generate greater life for the sake of the whole world.:
Moving Forward: “How does the scripture speak to you today?”