6-29-2015

Good Morning All!!

            Ecclesiastes 1:2; “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

    My wife and I have always enjoyed barbequing.  We wear our grills faster than most people wear out socks.  We usually use a gas grill because it is faster but I really prefer to use a charcoal grill.  I think you get a better heat and a better flavor.  The problem with charcoal is that you have to plan.  It takes a while to heat up the coals and then they have to cool down when you are done.  Oftentimes, I end up dumping the ashes from the charcoal grill a couple of days later when they are entirely cooled off.

   One time, as I was getting ready to dispose of the ashes, there were about ten coals that looked like they hadn’t burned.  They were kind of on the edge so it was possible.  They were not black but kind of an ashen color.  I thought that the ash from the other coals just settled on them.  I thought I would pick them out and use them later but as I went to grab them; I bumped the edge of the grill and those coals fell completely to nothing.  The coals had burned completely up and left only ash which, when shaken, completely disintegrated into nothing and blew away in the wind.  Our verse tells the same story about life without God.

    It is fairly commonly accepted that the book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon when he was an older man; perhaps during the time in which he feel away from his faith or shortly after he was returned to his faith.  Solomon recognized that a life without purpose is no life at all and the purposes that the world gave for living: wealth, fame, pleasure and wisdom are like the ash of those coals.  They look like something but in the end they are “hebel” which is the Hebrew word that is translated here as “vanity”.  It can also mean a mist or a fog or even mere breath but it is something that is transitory or meaningless or lacking substance.

    Solomon goes on to conclude that a life that is lived apart from God and his grace is meaningless and that value is found only in seeking God.  This is where our meaningful purpose exists, when we serve God.  Meaning is given to our life when we strive to live according to God’s will and to serve Him, take care of each other and care for God’s creation; this is when our life has meaning.  If we seek any other path or go a different direction away from God then our life will be “hebel”, it will be empty and meaningless.

    So if you feel that your life is adrift and empty; seek out God where you last found him, in His Word and in His Sacrament.  This is where Jesus said he would be so this is where you find him.  Drawing on God’s Word you will hear God’s voice of forgiveness, of purpose and meaning.  Seek the Lord when he may be found and your life will have meaning again.

Father, when my life is going in circles and nothing seems to have value; remind me that my value is found in you.  Lead me to know that my purpose in this life is to serve you until I reach eternal life with you.  In the precious name of Jesus our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret