Eccl. Final Reflection
Closing Reflection:
My first United Methodist pastor would end every bible study, Sunday school even confirmation class with, “So what?” This is our “so what” time. How do we reconcile the themes that Qoheleth writes about with our Christian faith? And what difference does taking these themes into account make in our lives? I believe the primary binding theme in the book of Ecclesiastes is that we can discern little about our world and our lives, therefore we are to enjoy life because life is a gift from God.
“Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die,” could be the claim that Ecclesiastes is boiled down to. That idea alone is clearly rejected by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians. The church has always rejected the idea that we are created to satisfy only our physical needs and desires. As Christians we do believe that this life isn’t all there is; we believe that when we die we are with Christ for all eternity. This belief is beyond Qoheleth, and not referred to within the book of Ecclesiastes. I believe Qoheleth would reject blatant hedonism based upon his claims to being satisfied with what you have.
As Christians we believe in eternal life in heaven; we also believe in the resurrection. The resurrection is a resounding statement by God that the world, that physical reality is good. In the story of creation we repeatedly read that God created something and “it was good.” The story of the incarnation which we celebrate each Advent and Christmas season is a celebration that God reached into the world to encounter humanity, with an actual physical presence.
At the beginning of the gospel of John we see Jesus at the wedding in Canaan. This is an instance in which Jesus blesses a wedding with his presence. Moreover this is an instance where Jesus is blessing a party. Later in John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This passage has most often been interpreted in a purely spiritual way, yet when we take Qoheleth seriously and integrate his perspective into our Christian walk we can see that this is also a call to enjoy the physical life that God has given us.
Qoheleth must be balanced in the Christian life. We cannot stray into a hedonistic tendency yet we cannot stray to the other side and abandon an enjoyment of the life that Christ has given us. We must hold the balance between enjoyment of the physical life, and living of the spiritual life. We have both concepts present in scripture; this makes me believe that the two must be held in tension, not one over the other.
Closing Lesson:
Review all the theme verses
What spoke to you the most from Ecclesiastes?
How will you apply the lessons from Ecclesiastes to your life? To your journey with Christ?
What is the biggest lesson that you take away from Ecclesiastes?
Close in Prayer
My first United Methodist pastor would end every bible study, Sunday school even confirmation class with, “So what?” This is our “so what” time. How do we reconcile the themes that Qoheleth writes about with our Christian faith? And what difference does taking these themes into account make in our lives? I believe the primary binding theme in the book of Ecclesiastes is that we can discern little about our world and our lives, therefore we are to enjoy life because life is a gift from God.
“Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die,” could be the claim that Ecclesiastes is boiled down to. That idea alone is clearly rejected by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians. The church has always rejected the idea that we are created to satisfy only our physical needs and desires. As Christians we do believe that this life isn’t all there is; we believe that when we die we are with Christ for all eternity. This belief is beyond Qoheleth, and not referred to within the book of Ecclesiastes. I believe Qoheleth would reject blatant hedonism based upon his claims to being satisfied with what you have.
As Christians we believe in eternal life in heaven; we also believe in the resurrection. The resurrection is a resounding statement by God that the world, that physical reality is good. In the story of creation we repeatedly read that God created something and “it was good.” The story of the incarnation which we celebrate each Advent and Christmas season is a celebration that God reached into the world to encounter humanity, with an actual physical presence.
At the beginning of the gospel of John we see Jesus at the wedding in Canaan. This is an instance in which Jesus blesses a wedding with his presence. Moreover this is an instance where Jesus is blessing a party. Later in John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This passage has most often been interpreted in a purely spiritual way, yet when we take Qoheleth seriously and integrate his perspective into our Christian walk we can see that this is also a call to enjoy the physical life that God has given us.
Qoheleth must be balanced in the Christian life. We cannot stray into a hedonistic tendency yet we cannot stray to the other side and abandon an enjoyment of the life that Christ has given us. We must hold the balance between enjoyment of the physical life, and living of the spiritual life. We have both concepts present in scripture; this makes me believe that the two must be held in tension, not one over the other.
Closing Lesson:
Review all the theme verses
What spoke to you the most from Ecclesiastes?
How will you apply the lessons from Ecclesiastes to your life? To your journey with Christ?
What is the biggest lesson that you take away from Ecclesiastes?
Close in Prayer
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