27th February 2024

27th February 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Ecclesiastes 5v18-20)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Life doesn’t need to be lived constantly running on the hamster wheel and it doesn’t have to be a long dissatisfied slog - Solomon offered another path. As the wise King considered all that took place under the sun he understood the beauty of eating and drinking with a smile on your face and finding some enjoyment in your work (v18). Solomon has made reference to this approach throughout Ecclesiastes and I’m aware that it doesn’t sound desperately radical, but have you tried it?


Many of us eat as quickly as we live. When I walk to the Ulster hospital I’m always surprised by the number of people eating their food in McDonald’s carpark. I know a fast food restaurant isn’t exactly a luxurious setting but I would have thought it would be nicer to eat lunch at a table rather than a steering wheel. Nevertheless, I fully understand. Life is busy and fast, we eat when we can and we rush back to jobs that have never satisfied.


Solomon’s ancient counsel is to slow down and taste your food with a thankful tongue. Then when your dinner is over, go back to work and seek some form of enjoyment in it. Perhaps this sounds like an impossibly in your context. You are stuck in a job that you hate and you endure Monday to Friday rather than enjoy. Brothers and sisters, find some pleasure in your work. If the majority of your nine to five is drudgery but you take delight in customer service, then serve customers to the glory of God. If the only joy you can find is keeping the staffroom fridge clean, then may it be the cleanest fridge known to humanity. Find joy somehow, somewhere.


The same wisdom applies to the rich and powerful. Money and influence are gifts given by God and they are also to be used and enjoyed (v19). Let us be clear, Solomon isn’t calling us to a hedonistic lifestyle which seeks pleasure above all else nor are we to abuse the power we wield. Absolutely not. The King’s constant cry is to fear God and we fear Him rightly by taking joy in the everyday, common and mundane experiences of life. Eating, drinking and working should all be done joyously and in the fear of the Lord.


We can mistakenly believe that our lives are bleak and meaningless without any notable deeds. No one will sing songs about us or write poems recalling our wondrous lives. That’s okay. A wonderfully rich blessing is for the Lord to occupy us with joy in our hearts so that we never dwell too much on life’s vanity. Brothers and sisters, I pray that we’ll climb off the hamster wheel for a moment so as to find joy in the ordinary - this is the gift of God (v18).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q79 Which is the tenth commandment? The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
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