Enjoy Life in the Simple Things (Ecclesiastes 2:11-26)

7/24/2019 Enjoy Life in the Simple Things (Ecclesiastes 2:11-26)

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Ecclesiastes 2:11-26 (situated within 1:12-3:9)Job ThomasAdvanced Homiletics

Based on the Focus/Function approach of Thomas G. Long

Claim: People, who dedicate their lives to gathering wisdom and riches, end up having

led idle lives in light of their death; they should have taken more pleasure in the

simple things.

Focus: Because Qohelets experiments show us that aiming for wisdom and works are in

vain, we should enjoy the simple life in Gods abundance.Task A: Use Qohelets experiences to show that works and wisdom are in

vain.Qohelet has experienced a lot in his life, but he has to conclude

that all of his strivings are in vain. It is important to show that

Qohelets findings come from research and experience.

Task B: Show the importance of enjoying life through Qohelet.Qohelet does

not only experience the vanity of works/wisdom, he also realizes

that it is important to enjoy life.

Task C: Name and describe contemporary idle strivings for works/wisdom.

The examples Qohelet mentions in his exposition will not relate

immediately to the setting of the hearers. It will be important toprovide a contemporary Qohelet experiment.

Function: Inspire the hearer to take time to pause and enjoy the simple life in Gods

presence.Task D: Question the hearers own striving for works/wisdom.Some (maybe

even most) of the people in the audience will be very career minded.

It will be important to show them the limitations of this aim.

Task E: Show how life can be enjoyed in simplicity in Gods presence.Thehearer may agree on the idleness of aiming for works/wisdom, but

this does not mean that he knows what enjoying simplicity is. It willbe important to

Task F: Provide assurance that it is not wrong to work hard or have great

wisdom.It is possible that the people in the church misinterpret the

call of the sermon to be lazy, or to think less of other people with a

better career and greater wisdom. Qohelets conclusion to enjoythe simple life is closely related to both works and wisdom (that

God gives).

Setting: I am going to preach this sermon two weeks before Easter. It will be in a churchwhere I have never preached before. I have only been there once. Though I know some of the

people attending the church, it is quite unclear how the audience will react. There is a mix of

quite a lot of elderly people, some young married couples and quite some youth. The

theological ideas of the people are largely very conservative.


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Part 1: ProblemStep 1: Telling a story to get the interest and to establish the problem.

[Task C: Name and describe contemporary idle strivings for works/wisdom.]

I have a dream, said the donkey to the horse. The horse was not interested in donkey-dreams, but knew that he would not get away before having heard the dream; so a bit annoyed

he stayed there to listen to the donkey. I will go away from this stable and find myself the

nicest haystack in the world. I have heard it is a long way to travel, but that it definitely is

worthwhile. The horse, excited to get rid of the donkeys continuous dreaming but at the

same time having a strong conscience, reacted: Sounds like a nice idea. But have you

thought of the consequences? What if you dont find it? Here we have a nice warm stable,

food if we want to, plenty of water. Why leave? The donkey however was very stubborn andhe started his travel after promising: I will not eat again until I have found the haystack!

Of course, here we have to skip a part of the story and not go into detail too much. The time

simply lacks us. But take it from me that after some trials and tribulations, the donkey finally

arrived at the haystack. It even exceeded his expectations. It definitely was worth the waiting

and the fasting. Next to the haystack stood a sheep. She didnt look quite as happy as one

would expect a sheep to be, standing next to the best haystack in the world. How on earth

can you look so miserable being here? the donkey asked. Have you not heard of the perfect

grassland on the other side of the mountains? the sheep responded, I am not built to cross

mountains, so I cannot go and feast of it. Hm, thought the donkey to himself, I had a dreamof finding the perfect haystack, but this sounds like a way better dream. He was quite

impulsive and even seconds later he shouted: I have a new dream! I will go on, cross the

mountains and there eat from the perfect grass land. The sheep reacted: But you are not

built for crossing mountains that fierce either! Well, I guess you have never met a donkeywith a plan then. As the matter of fact, I will not eat again until I have eaten from the perfect

grassland! And he went on his way.

Again here we have to skip a part of the story, but lets say that if Tolkien new about thedonkeys adventures in the mountains,Lord of the Ringswould be about donkeys not about

Hobbits. Finally the donkey arrived at the perfect grassland. It was the most beautiful green.The sun played with the perfectly shaped drops of dew. The donkey had difficulty containing

his tears. He was so overwhelmed by joy. With his stomach still being empty (excited as he

was hearing about the grassland, he had forgotten to eat of the haystack), he rolled in the grass,

laughing like a madman. Until he saw a remarkable figure. In the middle of the grassland a

mountain goat was grazing. He looked kind of depressed. How in the world can you bedepressed in a paradise like this? the donkey asked, still looking around and barely grasping

the joy of the upcoming feast. Have you not heard? the mountain goat reacted, on the other

side of this huge lake there is a place where there is even more perfect grass, but also tastyflowers and juicy herbs. And apparently there are several perfect haystacks as well. If this is

paradise, that must be heaven. I would like to go there, but I am not built to swim.

Step 2: Relating the story to the personal experience of the hearers.

[Task C: Name and describe contemporary idle strivings for works/wisdom.]

[Task D: Question the hearers own striving for works/wisdom.]

About a year ago, I was 25 years old. As is the case today, I coordinated an educationprogram for future teachers in secondary education. I taught at university level. I was close to


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obtaining my second Masters degree. A few times a year I went abroad for work related

issues. I stood in a position where people listen to me and respect me (at least I think so). I

had founded a youth church in West-Flanders and I cofounded Serve The City Leuven. Since

my 24thbirthday I was a member of the General Assembly of Tearfund Belgium. I helped

revitalize the website of the youth organization BREEZE. I was asked to speak at several

venues in the Flemish evangelical movement. I was about to publish my first book that I hadedited a few years before. I had a resume so diverse that most people have to wait for until

after their midlife crisis.

And a year ago, I had never felt so worn out in my life. I had never felt so alone in my life. A

few months before, at an Ichtus conference we were asked to put our own name in the centre

of a big piece of paper. Around it we could place the names of the people close to us, and

despite the success in my life, I realized I had no one close to me. About the same time I

was talking with a friend in a similar situation: he has already achieved a lot in his young life,

but it did not satisfy him. We both have a beautiful career waiting in front of us, but it simply

does not do.

I believe my situation is not unique. A part of being human means we are setting goals in ourlives. This can be that we are aiming for something material: we want a car, we want a house,

we want a big screen TV, and so on. It can be that we have goals that are related to status: we

want to be respected, we want a leadership position, we want people to recognize our humility,

etcetera. The remarkable thing however, is that it does not satisfy us when we obtain these

things. Sure, they can make us happy for a while. Who doesnt enjoy living in a state-of-the-

art house? Who doesnt like it when people look up to you? But do they really fulfil you?

Take some minutes to think about this. What are your goals in life? What have you alreadyaccomplished in your life? Did it really satisfy you?

[Be silent for a few minutes.]

Step 3: Showing that these experiences are old.

[Task A: Use Qohelets experiences to show that works and wisdom are in vain.]

What we experience here is not something new. As the matter of fact, it is pretty old. The

author of todays passage would probably say: Of course, this experience is not new, because

there is nothingnew under the sun. Lets have a look at his experience.

In Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:2 the I-person of the book, king Solomon, unfolds his plans: he wantsto set up a kind of experiment. Actually, he pretty much follows the lines of modern day

research. First, he poses his theses: that works, wisdom and pleasure are in vain. He has

observed the world as it is, and wonders why man strives for these things. It is almost sadistic:

man sets goals and the moment he reaches those goals, they do not satisfy him.

So Solomon sets off to do the proper research. In Ecclesiastes 2:3-10 he describes his

investigation for works, wisdom and pleasure. And it is impressive. We get the picture of a

man having experienced a lot in his life. The luxury and wealth are overwhelming. At first

they even fill us with a kind of jealousy. Man, would I love to have his experiences. Even if

only for one day.


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But his primary conclusion comes very swift: All was vanity and a striving after wind, and

there was nothing to be gained under the sun (Ecc. 2:11). In the following verses he

elaborates on this. It is quite depressing actually. What does it matter that I am very wise?

Solomon asks himself. Although I may have a little benefit of it in this life, I will not have a

different fate than somebody foolish: I will die and I shall be forgotten (cf. Ecc. 2:12-17).

And what about my toils, my works then? Solomon continues. Even though I haveestablished so many wonderful things, after my death it is possible that a jester receives the

fruits of my labor and simply lets those fruits rot (Ecc. 2:18-23).

How tragic it is that after Solomon this actually happened. He had established a strong and

peaceful kingdom, but after his death the kingdom was split in Juda and Israel. All his efforts

were in vain. That is why the slogan of his book is All is vanity. Maybe even a better

translation that truly grasps the nuance of the Hebrew writing is All is nothing. You see, in

Hebrew it says hakkol hevel, but if you look at the writing [show this on screen] these words

almost look exactly the same (!"#!$#). With only a minor change to the middle letter, you go

from everything to wind or nothing. This disturbs us. This is not the message we are

used to from the Bible.

Part 2: SolutionStep 4: Showing that the negative experiences also have a solution that is old.

[Task B: Show the importance of enjoying life through Qohelet.]

However, Solomons conclusions do not end there. At the end of the line there is something

what I would call down-to-earth hope. The slogan Everything is nothing does not result

in desperation, though we would expect this at first. It results in a realistic enjoyment of life.

The fact that Everything is nothing should result in our enjoyment of the simple things:eating and drinking, and even work as such in stead of always focusing on the product of our

works. Everything is noting should result in a healthy view on ones self: we are not so

special, so lets not pretend to be so.

Solomon does not stop there in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26. He acknowledges that Godis in the

picture here. It is in Him that we find the preciousness of our lives, but also the hope of ourlives. Enjoyment without God is a kind of enjoyment that does not fulfil (2:26).

Step 5: Illustrating that this solution is attainable even today (and integrating that this is

not contradictory to having success in life)

[Task E: Show how life can be enjoyed in simplicity in Gods presence.][Task F: Provide assurance that it is not wrong to work hard or have great wisdom.]

Since my realizing that I was not fulfilled by the success in my career, I have tried toapproach life differently. In our Ichtus context we sometimes practice something we simply

call the evening prayer. It is a meditative moment during which we rethink the day. And wedo it in combination with the question: Have you met God today? It is remarkable what the

moments during which we have met God often are when share them: the laughter of a child, a

silent encounter with a friend, the discovery of a skill in a neighbour, the beauty of creation,

the nice food at dinner. It only rarely happens that people mention the big things in life:

personal merits or achievements.


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And I have realized that there is no need to feel lonely. I cannot describe the community the

staff of Ichtus is forming. There is care for each other, there is hospitality, there is attention

for the identity of every individual. I had never been part of a community this impressive

before. For this alone I already love my job. The remarkable thing is that I could experience

very similar things in a small group at our church. I have been part of two communities this

loving, that it seems strange to me now that I felt lonely. I just was not taking time enough torealize the privilege of the present.

I still have the same tasks as one year ago. I still do a lot, but I try to do it with a different

mind-set. It is not about my beautiful career, it is not about the respect I might get. It is about

enjoying the community. It is about enjoying the work process. It is about enjoying the

meeting God in it. It is about enjoying. A few years ago I had my so-manieth exam period

that unfortunately happens when you do not stop after one Masterand during that time my

prayer changed. From Lord, help me to get good results it became Lord, help me enjoy

studying. I want this to be a prayer I pray for more and more aspects of my life.

We, Christians, sometimes set high goals for ourselves, and there is nothing wrong with that.But I wonder whether we are not forgetting to enjoy the life and the workwe received fromthe hand of God sometimes. During Lent, the period of preparation for Easter, we often take a

step back to think about the riches in our lives and by means of fasting we humble ourselves,

but also hopefully learn to enjoy the simple life more.

Step 6: Finishing the contemporary story open-ended with a climax on the problem to

have the listeners think about a solution.

I had a dream, the donkey said, but this seems like a way better dream. I will swim acrossthe lake and I will be come the happiest donkey ever alive when arriving there. But you are

not built to swim either, said the mountain goat. I guess you have never seen a donkey witha plan, the donkey responded, as the matter of fact, I will not eat again until I arrive in this

heaven. And he went off into the water, again forgetting to eat of the perfect grassland.

We have to skip the adventures of the donkey crossing the lake, but lets keep it at this: the

disciples in the storm on the lake would have looked like cry-babies if everyone knew the

story of the donkey. Finally the donkey placed his feet on the land again. With shaky legs he

walked towards this place so incredibly appealing one simply cannot describe it without doing

serious injustice to it. The donkeys not eating combined with his adventures, had made thedonkey very weak. The exuberant food was only about ten feet away, but the donkey was

exhausted.

[Every time leave more space between the number of paces, so that the hearers realize that it

is going more and more difficult.]

He took his first pace, his second, his third, his fourth, his fifth, his sixth his seventh

[Pause for a second.] The donkey collapsed. Three paces removed from his final goal he died.

Before he did, he had a final look at this perfect heaven and saw something very strange. It

the middle of the heaven there was a cow grazing, but she didnt look quite as joyous as one

would expect of a cow standing in heaven.

Enjoy Life in the Simple Things (Ecclesiastes 2:11-26)

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