Ecclesiastes 9:11

This last few months have been challenging for us. We've made some changes in our life and along with that have had a series of health issues impacting both our immediate and extended families. As I reflected on these things and the constant attention they are requiring at the moment, I thought of a verse in Ecclesiastes that I studied for devotional a few weeks back. I've included the devotional below.

I turned and saw under the sun that the race does not (go) to the swift or the battle to the mighty;
neither does food (belong) to the wise, or riches to the ones with understanding, or favor to the ones with knowledge, for all of them will encounter time and chance. Ecc. 9:11

In Ecclesiastes, The Preacher wrestles with the complexity of life in a broken world and poignantly expresses his frustration. His disillusionment drives him to lay aside personal pursuits and instead find hope in God’s providence.

The observations in this scripture address the collision of idealism and reality, of the way life should play out compared against the way it actually does. The Preacher has observed life and taken note of injustices. The first illustrations he provides are the swift runner and the mighty warrior. Despite their arduous training, neither is guaranteed victory in their area of expertise. So it is in the examples of those who hold wisdom, understanding and knowledge. Their insight gains them no assurances in life, not even the most elementary physical need of food. The cause of these seemingly incongruous scenarios is found in the concluding line. “Time” and “chance,” factors outside the control of individuals, are the wild card that demolishes the hopes of those with whom it crosses paths.

This scripture should give each believer pause. Western Christianity is inevitably impacted by the individualistic, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” philosophy that is a part of our wider culture. A strong work ethic and diligence in cultivating wisdom are important (9:10), but placing hope in our own ability to succeed will only end in frustration. Time and chance are inevitable factors in this broken world. They push against assumptions of what is right and just and will eventually topple our tower of expectations, leaving us broken in the rubble. There is no formula that ensures success, no blueprint to repel difficulty. Instead, there is God who holds the righteous and the wise in His hands (9:1). It is from this perspective, that of being held in God’s own hand, that we are able to see past the apparent futility of life and find both divine satisfaction and fulfillment.

Church Visitors: What NOT to do

Visiting churches, especially when searching for a new faith community, is a varied and interesting process. As we've visited a couple churches in the last few weeks, and talked to several others who are experiencing similar situations, I simply had to share some things you don't want to do. You may never see these in a book, but they're important nonetheless!

1. Don't add one-time visitors to your church-wide e-mail distribution list. A nice "Hello, thanks for visiting..." e-mail is fine, but hold off on adding people to a general distribution list. Too much information too soon!

2. Don't ask parents to give their driver's license numbers, weight and other personal information in order to drop their kids off in the kids' church area.

3. Never chase first-time visitors out into the parking lot to give them a laminated card for their children to make check-in easier next week. Just don't do it.

4. If you offer sports programs as part of your church, don't serve communion to elementary school children during the program without talking to parents first. This message is especially for those of us from Evangelical backgrounds. Respect parents and families and save this for a different time and place.

With all these things in mind, I do have to say that we have been warmly welcomed at each place we visited. I have enjoyed this process and look forward, for the most part, of more visits to come. In the meantime, it's nice to have a bit of a laugh!

How about you? Have you had any similar church visiting experiences that stood out to you? I'd love to hear about it.

Spring

I love Spring. I generally prefer Fall, but the reality is that after the cold greys and browns of winter, I long for the the sun, warmer temperatures, and flowers of Spring.

This week has been a wonderful glimpse of Spring. I know Winter will show its face a bit more before Spring is here to stay. But, in the meantime, I'm soaking up the sunshine with a smile on my face!