Pentecost 11 August 12, 2007
“Finding Meaning in a Meaningless World”
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:17-26
2 “Meaningless!
Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
17
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All
of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must
leave them to the one who comes after me.
19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work
into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my
toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill,
and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great
misfortune. 22 What does a man get for
all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief;
even at night his mind does not rest.
This too is meaningless.
24
A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his
work. This too, I see, is from the hand
of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives
wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of
gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the
wind.
The
story is told of an American businessman walking along the beach in
“I
have my catch of fish,” the Mexican man replied.
“You
mean you’re done fishing already?” responded the American. “It’s only
“Well,
Senor, I’ll go up to my little house on the beach, have lunch with my wife,
spend the afternoon playing with my children, and then watch the beautiful
sunset over the ocean.”
“Why
don’t you spend more time fishing today?” wondered the entrepreneur. “It’s still early. You could catch a whole lot more fish.”
“What
would I do with the extra fish?” asked the fisherman.
“You
could sell them to your neighbors and the community. You could make a lot of money,” the American
responded.
“What
would I do with the extra money?” asked the fisherman.
“Well,
you could open a processing plant right here by your home. You could can and pack the fish here and sell
it all over
“But
what do I need all the extra money for, Senor?” asked the humble fisherman.
“Then
you go international. You could sell
your fish in
“But
what do I do when I am wealthy?” the fisherman wondered.
The
American was frustrated because this fisherman obviously wasn’t seeing the
potential. “Well, you could retire, buy
a house on the beach, have lunch with your wife, play with your kids and watch
beautiful sunsets over the ocean!”
We constantly tell ourselves,
“If only I had more money, then I’d be happy.”
I’ll bet many of us have thought that at some point this past week. We know it isn’t true, yet we fall for it so
easily. And when you get caught up in
the “if only I had more money then I’d be happy” lie, don’t you feel like a
hamster on a wheel? You’re always
running around, working up a sweat, but never getting anywhere. The only thing you are accumulating is stress
and anxiety and anger. Today is the day
to stop listening to the lies, hop off that wheel, and celebrate the blessings
we have been given.
For guidance from the Word of
the Lord on this all-important issue, we look to the book of Ecclesiastes. This book was written by a man named Solomon,
the king of
What was Solomon’s assessment
of all his power, his prestige, his wealth, having every desire of his heart
met instantly? 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” The word translated “meaningless” could also
mean “vapor” or “vanity.” It is a word
that describes the breath you can see on a cold morning as you exhale. It is visible for a very short time and then
it is gone. All the labor, all the
effort, all the anxiety, all the sleepless nights – it is all meaningless.
Those verses were written
centuries ago by a Jewish king, but they could have been written yesterday by
any middle class American. Successful,
wealthy Americans stand by their front door and think, “I’ve got the cars, I’ve
got the house, I’ve got the nest egg, I’ve got the DVDs, I’ve got the vacation
time and money to travel wherever I want… now what do I do? What am I missing and why do I feel so
empty? What is the meaning of life? Too many people end up on that hamster wheel
chasing after the wind, trying to grasp the empty puff of vapor...and they
don’t realize it is nothing but vapor until it is too late.
So why do we fall for the
lie? There are two sins to ponder. The first sin is greed. Greed measures how meaningful you are based
on what you have. This sin is thinking,
“The more I have, the greater I am. If I
have more than you, I am better than you.”
Why would you feel more meaningful in a 4000sf house with a $40,000
vehicle in the driveway, pool service, lawn service, maid service and any other
kind of service? Why would you feel more
meaningful with a doubled salary, a high promotion and an extra two weeks of
vacation? Why would you be less
meaningful if you had a pay cut and were on food stamps? Whether you are homeless or Bill Gates you
leave earth with the same amount in your checking account: $0.00. It is a sin to think you are more or less
meaningful because of what you have.
The other sin to think about
is doubt. A severe lack of trust. We hear in the Word, “Wealth is meaningless”
but we wonder, “Do I trust that? Is
wealth really meaningless?” Instead of
relaxing, trusting in the Word and being content with what God has given us, we
chase after wealth so that we can see from experience if wealth really makes
you happy or not. Then and only then can
we know if God’s Word is true – but only after we try it out first.
The LORD hates our greed. He hates it when we seek to find meaning
apart from him. The LORD hates our
doubt. He detests it when he clearly
tells us, “Wealth is meaningless” but we have to try it- we can’t trust him. The LORD should throw our greedy, doubting
souls into hell. We should suffer for
eternity for being on that hamster wheel far too long. Then we could see for eternity just how
meaningful earthly wealth is.
We have a need for deep
repentance. End the greed. Stop the doubting. Listen to the Word of the LORD alone for
meaning in life. In the Word Jesus tells
us, “You mean something to me.” In the
Word we see how meaningful we are to God, for Jesus went out of his way to live
a perfect life in our stead. It wasn’t
easy but he did it. In the Word we see
how much Jesus loves us, for he was willing to die for our greed and
doubt. In the Word God tells us, “You
are my child today and forever.” The
LORD is your shepherd and you don’t need anything else.” That’s the meaning of life - Jesus. No wonder Solomon, after he had pulled out of
his own greed and doubt, said, 24 A
man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his
work. This too, I see, is from the hand
of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
It doesn’t matter if your job
is going well or if it is frustrating; it doesn’t matter if you have money
piled up or debt piled up; it doesn’t matter if …you mean something to the
Savior. And because you