Loving God, in spite of how everything can seem the same to us, you are always making all things new.  Renew our hearts and our minds by the power of your Spirit this day, empowering us for life in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    There are times when Koheleth - the Teacher - sounds really old and tired.  “Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher.”  “All things are wearisome.”  “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1).  Generations come and go.  The sun rises and sets every day.  The seasons continue from year to year.  The wind goes around in circles.  And nobody remembers the people who have gone before.  “What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?” (Eccles. 1:3).

    Some of you may have heard of ennui - a French word that has made its way into English usage.  It means a general boredom, or listlessness, or dissatisfaction with life.  In Ecclesiastes, there seems to be plenty of ennui to go around!  In the same vein, there is a quote I’d like to share with you that relates to this passage.  Try and guess when this was written: “We become bored with the things that are present and continually yearn for other things, and then still others.” (Repeat) When do you think this was written?...

    Would you believe that it was written in the sixteenth century by Martin Luther?  He was commenting on Ecclesiastes, but it seems to me that those same words could have been written last week.  “We become bored with the things that are present and continually yearn for other things, and then still others.”  Doesn’t this continue to describe so many people - perhaps even including ourselves?

    And then on top of this weariness and yearning, the Teacher writes about the things that human beings pursue that are futile.  He says that even those who seek wisdom are not immune to anxiety and vexation.  Wisdom will not protect you from sorrow.  He says those who indulge their every whim are not any happier or better off in the end.  He says that those who work hard and accumulate wealth and flocks and herds are merely “chasing after wind.”  After all, they will die like everybody else, and then who will all these things belong to?

    If nothing else, the Teacher is a realist!  However, he also observes the things around him in light of what he knows about God.  God is eternal, and we are not.  God is the only one who can see from the beginning to the end, and God has appointed the times and the seasons for everything.  God is also the judge of both the righteous and the wicked, in spite of the fact that it might look to us as if wickedness has gained the upper hand.

    In light of all this, the Teacher advises, Here is what we should do: Acknowledge that God is God, and come before God with humility and reverence.  Trust in God’s judgment and in God’s wisdom in appointing the times and the seasons.  And take pleasure in the gifts that God has given to us - simple things like food and drink and enjoying our work.  And if you have a loving relationship with your husband or wife, take double pleasure - for this is a gift of God.

    While these things continue to be wise advice, it is also important to ask what Jesus has to add to the world view that is reflected in Ecclesiastes.  While the Teacher seems to say that the best we can do is to eat and drink and enjoy all our toil, Jesus leads us to a much higher calling.  Those who believe in Jesus not only approach God with humility and reverence but are filled with the Spirit of God and are promised resurrection and eternal life.  There is a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ that simply isn’t there if you are only reading Ecclesiastes.

    Of course, there are those who point to Jesus as a great teacher and leave it at that.  Certainly, Jesus does teach many of the same things that we find in the Old Testament - including some of the things that we find in Ecclesiastes.  The parable that we heard today also reminds us of the folly of simply piling up riches for ourselves.  However, as Christians we believe that there is far more to Jesus than simply being a wise teacher.

    Wise teachings do not necessarily set people free.  Wise teachings do not give us a life-giving relationship with God.  Wise teachings do not give us resurrection and eternal life.  Wise teachings do not strip sin and death of their power.  And wise teachings do not fill us with the Holy Spirit and make us members of the body of Christ.

    What we do find in Ecclesiastes is a recipe for contentment.  Acknowledge that only God is eternal and only God is worthy of worship and praise.  Trust God’s judgment and God’s wisdom.  And enjoy the simple blessings that we receive from day to day.  Thus we can be content and at peace.

    Add to this, however, the recipe for resurrection and new life that is to be found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus, in fact, has the power to transform hearts and lives.  Jesus has the power to heal and to set free.  Jesus has the power to raise the dead and to give sight to the blind and to lift up the outcasts and the oppressed.

    This power to transform and to heal did not end with the writing of the New Testament.  Some people say that we don’t see these things today, but I’m not convinced.  What I think is far more likely is that we do everything in our power to keep ourselves in charge and Jesus safely at arms length.  In order for there to be transformation and healing and new life, Jesus has to be allowed in!  The Holy Spirit can do all kinds of things within us and among us and through us – if and when we are open to the Spirit’s presence and power.  However, this means allowing God to be in charge, and not us.

    And so, maybe we can add this to the recipe for contentment that is shared in Ecclesiastes: Acknowledge that only God is God, and know that this same God loved us so much that a new thing did, in fact, happen, as God lived and served and died and rose among us through Jesus Christ.  Trust in God’s wisdom and judgment and the gifts of salvation, resurrection, and eternal life.  And take pleasure in the simple blessings that we receive from day to day – especially the blessing of being able to drink deeply of the Spirit of God.  For God has made us a new creation through Jesus Christ – transformed by God’s grace, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 9 (NL summer)                    Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 3:1-17
July 26, 2015                        Luke 12:13-21
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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