On the Way to Wonder

First Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.

  5 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Psalm: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. (Ps. 23:1)

 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

 2 The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.

 3 You restore my soul, O Lord, and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.

 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;

  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

  you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Second Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

11 Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

  53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms,they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

CHILDREN’S SERMON. “Chariots of Fire”: In 1981 a film came to Hollywood that had captivating opening music.  Englishmen ran along the sea coast to train for the Olympics of 1936.  Two men become the main protagonists. One was Eric Liddell, a Scotsman, a missionary kid from China, and a man who ran with the father of one of my Scottish colleagues!  The other was Harold Abrams, a Jew who was determined to win and trained with a known trainer, fudging the rules a bit.  Liddell refused to run in the qualifying race for his event on a Sunday because of his Christian faith. Instead he ran a race four times longer.  Two lines are often quoted as Liddell saying in the film:

• “Where does the strength come from to finish the race? The strength comes from within”
• “ I believe God made me for a purpose – but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

Let us pray.  Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer.

SERMON

We are moving through the Gospel of Mark, traveling with Jesus but also reflecting on how the reality of this God who incarnated to be with us and reveal himself – how this reality of our faith in Jesus  changes our lives.  We saw Jesus calm a storm on the Sea of Galilee and realized that even though he may appear asleep in our boat, he is still God and is part of major events impacting us when we fear we are dying.  Then we saw him heal two women, two no-bodies in the scheme of life, who were in fact facing death and he brought them both to wellness.  That was all encouraging but then we saw him rejected in his hometown and were reminded that not all are willing to believe in Jesus.  Last week even John the Baptist, his cousin, was beheaded by an unjust, insecure king.  Life is unfair and people we love get hurt but that does not mean God does not care. Mark shifts his focus slightly and we see Jesus start sending out the disciples two by two to do ministry.  We are an important part of God’s eternal plan.  Yes, he died for sin, but he is building a kingdom for eternity and we are part of that.  We have a purpose and feel his pleasure when we are in sync with him and we need strength within ourselves to run the race.

Today the disciples return from their beginning outreach adventures and are wanting to report in to Jesus.  Perhaps like Eric Liddell they are beginning to tap into unrealized resources within themselves and feeling the pleasure of serving.  People are being healed, believing, and demons fleeing.  The disciples are feeling God’s pleasure. Jesus, though, realizes they are tired and need to debrief and need to come away and rest awhile. 

Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves

and rest a while.”

Some of us come to church today and we are just plain tuckered out.  We have sat with declining loved ones.  We are holding the line with teenagers testing their wings.  Perhaps there is one more month in the pregnancy and we are excited about the birth but exhausted from the journey.  Grandparents worry about grandchildren.  Executives are tired of carrying the responsibility of being in leadership.  Politics is making November look somehow dicey.  Will it be another social unrest time and will financial markets reflect this?  We come to church today celebrating that we have roles, jobs, responsibility and yet we need to spend time with Jesus.

Perhaps those disciples were longing to hear, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! (Matthew 25:23)”. I long to hear those words— well done, thank you.  We don’t say it often enough to each other.

Perhaps those disciples were longing to ask questions.  Not all encounters turned out the way they wanted.  Sometimes they had to shake the dust off their feet.  Sometimes the people who welcomed them were what we might call “challenging cases.”  Then again those they expected to be open to the message of the gospel were hard as rocks.  Lord, what did I do wrong? We long to ask Jesus.  We come to church today with our questions also.  We ponder where we have gone wrong and what we might have done better.  We long to hear, “Peace, be still, be not afraid.”

Perhaps those disciples returned to Jesus wanting to hear the words of forgiveness.  We open our services with the confession of sins and the absolution.  We confess that we have not loved God with all our heart, soul, and strength nor our neighbor as ourselves.  We have fallen short and we have not done the good we could have.  Sigh.  The pastor says as a representative of God – you are forgiven.  May we never take those words lightly.

Jesus calls to those of us who are tired to come away and rest.  He does not call us lazy.  He does not call us failures.  He does not call us to a seminar on how to improve our act.  He calls us to rest with him.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Where does the power come from to finish the race – from within when we rest with Jesus.

“…they were like sheep without a shepherd;” 

A second group of people appear in our text today.  Jesus took the disciples to a deserted place for rest but in fact wherever we go, there we are.  That longed for vacation does not remove the reality of life.  Wherever Jesus went, there were people who needed him and wanted him.  The people raced ahead of Jesus and the disciples.  “34 As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”

The second group of people were like sheep without a shepherd.  They seek Jesus and Jesus is moved with compassion.  He more than empathizes or sympathizes but additionally he is moved to compassion.  He is moved to come alongside these people and help.  But what do they need? The text says he taught them.  Let’s look at Psalm 23 and what a Good Shepherd does.

Perhaps some of the people in the crowd, some of you in church today, are needing guidance.  You are facing decisions about your future and the wisdom for getting to the grass that is greener on the other side of the fence of decision.  Decisions about spouses, about health, about jobs, or about finances impact the direction of our future.  We want to play our cards right and some of us are in the fog of decision making.  Psalm 23 says the shepherd guides us along paths of righteousness.

Perhaps some of the people in the crowd, some of us, need our souls to be restored.  A disappointment this week knocked the wind out of us, doubt is the storm of faith we face, and today we need to hear Jesus speak.  Psalm 23 reminds us. That the shepherd restores our soul.

Perhaps some of the people in the crowd and some of us are walking through the valley of the shadow of death for ourselves or with a loved one.  We need the comfort of Jesus’ rod and staff and so we come to church today, grieving.

Perhaps some of the people in the crowd were just plain hungry. Psalm 23 continues to say, “5 You prepare a table before me..”   Some of us are in the presence of our enemies.  We wanted to do a quiet time but sure enough life happened.  We read a devotional and it may as well have been written in Greek.  That pod cast we like to listen to raised questions that dredged up the past failure, or a present fog or a future fear.  Somehow our boat of faith was rattled and we come today needing to listen to Jesus.

Our text says, “and he began to teach them many things.”    Again, we do not see Jesus shaming the crowds.  He does not send them away for a more convenient time after he had helped the disciples or our pastors.  He did not accuse but interestingly he taught.  Sometimes I need to draw aside and find rest in the security of my relationship with God but sometimes I just need to draw aside and spend time in the Word.  That takes many forms.  I love to go to the Gospel of Luke and focus on the character of God revealed there, not on the TV.  Sometimes I sit in the shadows of the evening and listen to my praise music.  I am surprised when a routine church service suddenly turns into food for my soul’s confusion.  I hear just what I need.  Many like a walk in nature.  God “teaches many things.”  Sometimes we just need to be still and listen to God speak and teach us.

Where does the strength come to run the race before us each day, it comes from within, feeding our souls with words of truth.  I like the Message’s translation of Hebrews 1:1-2

“1 Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets, in visions, dreams, and even face to face, telling them little by little about his plans. 2 But now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything and through whom he made the world and everything there is.”

But there is also a third group.

They “begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”

Our text continues and we meet a third group of people.  The disciples are present, the crowds are present like sheep without a shepherd and then there are the sick.  These are desperate people who think if they can just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment like the woman two weeks ago, they might be healed.  They are sick but it is their friends who lay them on the road and intercede for them, asking Jesus to just allow the sick person to draw near and touch his hem as he passes.  “All who touched it were healed.” Wow.

I do not believe we are sick because we lack faith.  Illness is part of this kingdom of the world.  Saints like Paul got sick and we will all face death some day.  I do believe though that there are times when we need others to intercede for us and help position us so that we can “touch the hem,” so that we can draw near to God.

Perhaps you have come to church today, just needing to be near where Jesus passes.  After my husband died, I sat in the back row just being near a church load of people I did not know, and not knowing when I would burst into tears of grief.  A song would trigger the tears or a word from the sermon.  I just sat in the back and grieved.  I have sat on the fringes of a church as a “new kid in town” observing the unspoken traditions of a worshiping community surrounding communion, passing the peace, and other parts of the service the insiders know.  Perhaps the load of guilt and shame from life choices you have made convince you that you are unwanted, untouchable, a ruined person.  The evil one loves to whisper in our ear lies about how we are not good enough to even come near to Jesus. We come as beggars and we come because a friend makes it possible.

We met three groups of people in our text today.  Perhaps you are one of the tuckered out and need rest.  Perhaps you are a sheep needing to get in touch with the Good Shepherd and you just need to hear the words of truth, of hope, of encouragement or guidance. But you might also be just wanting to draw near to God today and quietly touch the hem of his garment.  We all fall in some combination of these categories.  It is in communion that we hear, “This is my body, given for you.  This is my blood, shed for you,” and we are touched by the Holy.  It is in the confessions we repeat the age old truths that have grounded lives for over 2000 years. And I have been known to fall asleep during the sermon as my soul relaxes and finds rest and safety from a full week.  I think Eric Liddell was right when he pondered where the strength comes to run the race.  It comes from within.  Sometimes we find a quiet place and rest from our hectic lives. Sometimes we hurry  to a place we know Scripture is being taught.  And then  sometimes we just lie down on the fringes and touch his hem.  God did make us with a purpose.  When we live in sync with that purpose, we feel his pleasure.  May we find time this week to draw aside and just enjoy his love.

Let the people of God say, “AMEN!”

Turn! Turn! Turn! Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 MV

One of the songs we highlighted when we started our look at Ecclesiastes back in March was the song “To Everything There is a Season,” also known as “Turn, Turn, Turn” and made famous by a secular group, the Byrds.  It comes from the beginning of chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes.  It was one of the first large portions of Scripture put into popular music.  It seems to highlight the feeling that the cycles of life define us which the author reiterates at the end with the caveats that each moment becomes unique and meaningful, not meaningless, because it happens before a God who knows and sees all and will make things right in the end.  Let’s reread the verses.  Which one jumps out to you?  Now add meat to the idea.  If you are planting, what would you plant — perhaps a veggie but perhaps you would like to plant more love?  And if you could pluck up something in our world, what would it be — hatred, campaign rhetoric?  Let’s spend some time thinking about what these words mean and how they apply to our lives.  Blessings as you prepare for worship tomorrow.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

“A time to be born, and a time to die; 

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; 

a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; 

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;

 a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;

 a time of war, and a time of peace.”

9-10 Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.

11 The words of the wise prod us to live well.
They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together.
They are given by God, the one Shepherd.

12-13 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:

Fear God.
Do what he tells you.

14 And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (The Message)

We come to the end of the book of Ecclesiastes written by the Teacher, called the Quester in the Message, and considered to be King Solomon, son of KIng David, and considered a wise man.  He concludes that wisdom is like nails holding the boards of our life together.  When we are foolish the boards of our life fly apart.  When we are wise, regardless of how counter intuitive it may seem, life holds together better.  I think of the words of wisdom of Christ – forgive our enemies and allow God to judge, turn the other cheek, or return good for evil.  Crimes of violence against another — whether it be shooting, abuse, or violent language resolves  nothing.  Speaking truth to power is is absolutely necessary but “fearing God” by which I think means factoring him in the scenario as present is important.  

The Teacher opened the book of Ecclesiastes with those famous words, meaningless, meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.  He has analyzed life from many angles.  He comes to the conclusion that without a God, without a final judgment to set things right, life is meaningless.  It is as we acknowledge the presence of a God walking with us, before us, and dealing with our past that life gains meaning, perspective, and is no longer meaningless.   We believe Evil will be brought to account be someone smarter and stronger than I.

As we close our study of Ecclesiastes’s today let us thank God for his forgiveness for our foolishness that he somehow is able to work for his glory and let us thank Him for walking with us and giving us to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.  To Him be the glory!

Ecclesiastes 12: 2-7

The Teacher now paints an endearing picture of our aging bodies.  He has just advised his readers to enjoy their youth while they can, before the years come when we “find no pleasure in them,” “the days of trouble.”  Let’s look at The Message’s phrasing.

1-2 Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.

3-5 In old age, your body no longer serves you so well.
Muscles slacken, grip weakens, joints stiffen.
The shades are pulled down on the world.
You can’t come and go at will. Things grind to a halt.
The hum of the household fades away.
You are wakened now by bird-song.
Hikes to the mountains are a thing of the past.
Even a stroll down the road has its terrors.
Your hair turns apple-blossom white,
Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body.
Yes, you’re well on your way to eternal rest,
While your friends make plans for your funeral.

6-7 Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.

8 It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke.
The Quester says that everything’s smoke.

As an elder, I must admit that my physical strengths are declining.  Vision and hearing are not so sharp but the impact of words like “thank you,” and “I love you” still touch me deeply.  I love hugs.  I’m not as strong but I enjoy sitting with a grieving friend and sitting and listening to my kids report in.  Listening is a blessing I can give.  The freedom to have a more relaxed schedule after years of work, is great.  Yes, I prefer to work out in a gym where there are people around to help if I fall but I can plug in a book and peddle away or watch the TV or enjoy the youth around me.  I love waking early to the sunrise…and I have the time to enjoy its beauty cause I’m not racing off to work.  I agree with the Teacher that life is precious and it passes too soon especially when loved ones go ahead.  I would not wish them to linger longer in failing bodies just to keep me company.  My friends and I thank God that we can enjoy seeing our kids and grandkids grow and truly we also have the time to pray for those we fear are wayward. We know the time ahead is smaller than the time behind us.  Life seems to pass like smoke but it is also true that when we pass we  are comforted to know we have an eternity with God.

Let us take a few moments to thank God for the years we have been given and thank God for the forgiveness we have been granted.

12 Remember your Creator

    in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

    and the years approach when you will say,

    “I find no pleasure in them”—

Ecclesiastes 12:1

We have finally reached the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, supposedly written by “the Teacher” who is believed to be King Solomon, son of King David.  Solomon prayed to God for wisdom when he took over David’s kingship as he realized he was young and not the first of David’s sons to try to succeed David.  Solomon has compared wisdom and folly in life.  He sees in the circle of life  a redundancy that makes life feel meaningless.  He realizes the rich and the poor, the wise and the foolish, the talented and the untalented all die.  So what’s the point?  He ponders how all that is worked for during life, is left to someone who may squander it and that leaves him feeling empty.  Chapter three has the famous verses about there being a time for everything and its opposite in life.  He continues weighing his left hand of folly against his right hand of wisdom.  Life feels like smoke that clouds our vision so we can only focus on that near us and we cannot get perspective of the big picture.  Today he advises enjoying life when we are young before we age and start carrying responsibility and before we enter old age when our strengths begin to decline and our pleasures may be more sedentary and our spouses or agemates start dying.

My husband and I liked on anniversaries to make a list of what was one of our favorite blessings for each decade of our life.  What was our favorite song or game or friend in our single digit years, our teens, our twenties and so on.  Take time to list the decades of your life and a favorite memory from that decade that blessed you.  Perhaps it was a friend, or a job, or a trip. Perhaps you have a friend you could share your list with.  Now thank God for those experiences.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 (The Message)

7-8 Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour,
Remembering that there will also be many dark days
And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

9 You who are young, make the most of your youth.
Relish your youthful vigor.
Follow the impulses of your heart.
If something looks good to you, pursue it.
But know also that not just anything goes;
You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.

10 Live footloose and fancy-free—
You won’t be young forever.
Youth lasts about as long as smoke.

The Teacher takes on a bit of a lighter tone now.  The Message translates the word “meaningless” as “smoke.”  I like that.  So many of the events of our life that seem so random are like smoke that clouds our vision for a moment and does not allow us to see the big picture.  It reminds of that song we used to warble, “Smoke Get’s in Your Eyes.”  We think we are in love and friends try to convince us of our folly and we chase the relationship but then when it doesn’t work out we hang our head and say, “smoke gets in your eyes.” 

 The Teacher points out that we rejoice with the bright and sunny days but we should never forget that we will have our share of dark and cloudy days.  He warns that we should enjoy our youth and live life to the fullness but never forget that God is watching and we will someday answer to him.  As an elder I must agree that “youth lasts about as long as smoke.”  At 10 I could hardly wait to be a teenager and 21 seemed forever away when I could drink, drive, vote and be happy ever after.  My forty-four year old mother was ancient.  Now I look back and thank God for the good memories and I am thankful for forgiveness for the follies of youth.

One of my favorite sayings I learned in Kenya was often used at the opening of church services.  “Many longed to see today and did not.  Let us thank God for bringing us here today.”  In the midst of all the challenges facing us today, let us take a moment to thank God for three blessings that have been more than passing smoke and that give you hope for the future.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
    or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
    the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

I don’t know about you, but tonight I and many Americans are watching the news as people seek to sort through the events of yesterday and the attempted assignation of former President Trump.  We started yesterday as a hopefully normal Saturday but by evening a friend texted me the news about the event.  Some of you, I know, had your own vigils as you sat by loved ones declining, had to go to work, or encountered your own trials.  Truly we do not know the “path of the wind,” the twists and turns of the day before us.  The Teacher reminds us that we may hear the scientific explanation about the formation of the fetus but we still cannot agree on the point when “life” enters.  We cannot understand the beginning of life nor events that almost marked the end of a life yesterday. The wind is also a word to speak of the moving of the Holy Spirit.  We really don’t understand that either.

 We can investigate the impacting factors but ultimately we realize our lives are fragile and we bow our heads in humility tonight realizing that violence and death is never a productive conclusion.  Freedom of speech cannot be silenced with a gun shot.  People we disagree with will never end and killing one does not solve anything.

The Teacher goes on in verse six to advise us, 

“Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end.”  

Since we do not know how the Spirit is moving or what will impact another’s spirit, may we always be found doing good to the best of our ability.  Let us pray for those grieving tonight, those scared, and all those searching for answers to make our lives more secure.  Lord be with our security forces, our doctors and our leaders as we head into this political season.  Lord, have mercy.

by Henry Francis Lyte @ 1820

Tomorrow’s Gospel text will tell of the beheading of John the Baptist.  An insecure king, to please his step daughter who was pleasing her mother, and he, from fear of looking foolish in front of his guests, grants the girl’s demand for John’s head to be presented on a silver platter.  It is a horrible story of injustice.  John was Jesus’ cousin, was considered one of the humblest people alive, and had faithfully preached truth to power.  Sometimes life just doesn’t make sense.

We may not be in a lonely cell block awaiting beheading but we may be watching the political news wringing our hands and pondering where God is in all this.  We may be keeping vigil with loved ones declining inch by inch with dementia. We may be silently loving people we care about caught in alcohol or drugs or rebellion.  We may be praying for loved ones trapped in countries torn apart by war.  Whatever our situation we know life is not always fair.  

And so I come back to this beloved hymn I have highlighted before.  I love the word “abide.”  It’s archaic so carries a bit more weight as it slows me down to think how abiding is slightly different than asking God to sit awhile or stay awhile with me.  Somehow “abide” speaks to me of love and comfort and compassion.  Perhaps this is a good song for you to sit with for a moment as you anticipate tomorrow…or the events of today.  Blessings.

3 If clouds are full of water,
    they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

Some verses in the Bible just grab at my mind and make me laugh.  This is one of them.  I can envision a giant redwood toppling and of course it will lie where it has fallen.  That seems obvious.  So what is the Teacher trying to tell me?  The Message translates vs 4, “Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.”  Chapter 10 verse10 of Ecclesiastes adds to this image of a falling tree, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.”

  Most of us are not lumberjacks nor are we rich enough to have trees on our property that need to be cut.  But I have lived in tornado areas and during one such event, I gasped as my son ran out the front door as I was herding everyone downstairs.  At that moment the neighbor’s tree fell and missed him by a hair.  Another time we left our youngest to go to the college graduation of another.  A tornado went through the neighborhood wiping out 1,000 trees in six minutes.  The whole horizon changed.  And then, of course, I love the Ents, the talking trees, in Lord of the Rings.

Those tornados changed my world with the removal of the trees’ silent vigil in my neighborhood.  Life just did not look normal for a long time.  Roots ripped apart sidewalks and shade was no longer available.  Perhaps the Teacher is trying to tell us that there are those things that seem permanent in our lives, that decorate and protect us and we often take them for granted-like the trees.  But when they fall, there they lie, and life is not the same afterwards.  Perhaps there are some “trees” in your life that you need to thank God for today.

The removal of trees clears property for planting crops.  Sometimes we need to remove the things in our lives that indeed serve a purpose but there comes a time when we need to “repurpose” and redefine the space those trees claim.  On the down side is the thought of making a decision to stop bad habits like alcohol that have helped us make it through the day. But we need to be uproot those bad habits and face a new future we want to build.  I have a friend going through detox now and it is hard to uproot that tree of alcohol that has such deep roots in the person’s life.  This same uprooting takes place during transition times.  I remember leaving dear friends in the house we shared as I moved into marriage.  Those were good days as a single that needed to change when I married.

When the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, the work is hard.  When we allow our tools for survival to become rusty and unsharpened, we struggle. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  Friends that care enough to say the truth in love are axes to be valued.

So today let’s thank God for those things in our lives that are like redwoods, silently blessing our lives.  But Lord help us be honest about those trees that need to be cleared from our lives for the new blessing you have for us.  And thank you Lord for those who care enough to speak the truth so we keep our axes sharp.  Thank you, Lord.

16-17Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup,
And whose princes party all night.
Lucky the land whose king is mature,
Where the princes behave themselves
And don’t drink themselves silly.

Ecclesiastes 10: 16-17 (The Message)

The Teacher now turns to wisdom and folly in government.  He juxtaposes a young, inexperienced king to a mature king and immature government officials who love the partying lifestyle vs those who are serious in doing work.  Sigh!!!  Today we are wrestling not with the question of youth but the question of age.  I think that the Teacher, most think to be King Solomon,  was perhaps reflecting on his beginnings as king.  Solomon was famous because in the Temple God appeared and asked him what he would request.  Solomon acknowledged his youth and lack of experience to rule God’s people and asked for the gift of wisdom.  God was very pleased with this request and indeed Solomon was known for his wisdom.

Today let us pray for wisdom for our leaders in government.  May they not be driven by desire for power or partying.  May they be surrounded by wise advisors.  May we be able to be discerning as we listen to all the opinions on the news.  May we put the best construction on all that we hear and pass along.  Lord, have mercy.