by Charles Bertelsmeier
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Read Ecclesiastes 1:1–11
Although I can remember the names and a little about the lives of my grandparents, I would struggle to tell you the names of all my great-grandparents or anything about their lives.
Then I think about my grandchildren and realise they know virtually nothing about my parents and previous generations. I’m sure we could all agree with the sentiment expressed in today’s verse.
We will spend today and the next four days looking at the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Before you open your calendar app and set a reminder to resume reading LCA devotions next Saturday and skip these five days, let me encourage you to persevere. God has put every book of the Bible there for a reason and has a message for us. I pray that God has a message for you in what he gives me to write. You may also like to read the whole book before we proceed with these devotions.
The first verse of this book indicates that the author is King Solomon. God blessed King Solomon to be one of the wisest people in history. He is also believed to be the author of the biblical book Song of Songs and to have collected many proverbs.
In Ecclesiastes, the author conducts a series of scientific experiments to find the meaning of life. In reflecting on this, I think we are all doing the same, but probably not as scientifically as Solomon. As young children, we are absorbed in play. As teenagers, we are trying to discover who we are. As young adults, we seek acceptance through our friendship circles and employment. Then, we aim to perpetuate our identity through our children, moving on to get ourselves financially secure and finally retiring to contemplate what we have achieved with our lives. Maybe we will even write up our life stories to perpetuate our legacies.
Solomon tries a range of activities to find meaning and fulfilment but comes up empty each time. Most of these things are things we also do to try to discover meaning and purpose. Spoiler alert: The conclusion Solomon comes to is that we only find that meaning and purpose through our relationship with God and by surrendering our lives to the plans he has for us.
Most of us, me included, didn’t want to hear that when we were younger and tried looking elsewhere. I thank God he didn’t give up on me and gently led me to accept Solomon’s conclusion.
Heavenly Father, I accept that life without you is meaningless. Please help me to listen to your Spirit as we dive into the Book of Ecclesiastes and to find meaning and purpose in your plans for us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
Ouch!
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12a).
Read Hebrews 4:9–13
The concept of a Sabbath rest, in any shape or form, is much less of a reality today than in days gone by. When I was a child, I remember very clearly that no work was undertaken on a Sunday apart from the necessities of preparing food and tending to the needs of the animals on our farm – feeding animals, milking the cows and collecting the eggs.
Sundays were spent going to church in the morning, followed by visiting family or friends or perhaps going for a drive. There may have been time for an afternoon nap or some quiet time for reading or letter writing. Shops were closed on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday. Team sports were confined to Saturday afternoons. Sundays were a day of rest, which provided a welcome respite from the hard yakka of weekdays.
In today’s reading, we are encouraged to enter God’s rest, where we rest from our own work and our own efforts. By entering God’s rest, we don’t have to do anything active at all to please God. We just need to believe.
A couple of years ago, I was making some pumpkin soup and reached the stage of using a stick blender to smoosh everything together. The blender was making a peculiar noise, and I lifted it out of the soup and put my finger into the area where the blades are – and absentmindedly started the motor. It may not have been a two-edged sword, but it hurt a lot.
God’s word cuts through everything. It is alive and active, and our thoughts and deeds are uncovered and laid bare. It all sounds very messy and embarrassing, not to mention painful, to me.
But that’s not the end. Through faith and God’s grace, we can enter into God’s rest, where we don’t have to do anything other than believe. We can rest from trying to earn our salvation. The task is complete; God’s Son has done the heavy lifting and has died to remove those sins.
Loving Saviour, help us to enter your Sabbath rest, secure in the knowledge that you have ensured our salvation through your death on the cross. Grant us thankful hearts and joyful spirits as we enjoy the fruit of your actions. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
Beautiful feet
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ (Romans 10:15b)
Read Romans 10:8b–18
In today’s reading, a preacher is sent by God, the message is proclaimed, the message is heard, and the message is believed. And those who believe the good news, those who call on the name of the Lord, are saved. It’s that simple.
In biblical times, news was spread by word of mouth, carried by runners who covered extraordinary distances – sometimes hundreds of kilometres – across rough, sandy, thorny, stony and any other kinds of country. Their footwear wasn’t made by Adidas or Nike. They wore leather sandals.
When the runner approached their destination, their demeanour would have indicated whether they were bringing good news or bad. One can imagine that those receiving the good news would be thankful to the runners – and to the feet that brought the news. Maybe even to the point of seeing the feet as beautiful.
The reference in today’s reading is to those who are bringing the good news – the best news – of the gospel. And let’s celebrate those who preach and teach in our community.
I can’t help but think of others in our community whose feet are worth honouring: those who provide care in aged care and health services; the first responders to emergencies and those who aid in recovery after floods, fires and other natural disasters; police who ensure our safety; farmers and tradies. You might like to add to the list.
There is no hierarchy to whose contribution to society is most important, just as there is no distinction as to who is most welcome into God’s kingdom. Race, ethnicity, income and breeding are all irrelevant. The important thing is that we are part of God’s kingdom and should do what we can to spread the gospel message.
A preacher is sent by God, the message is proclaimed, the message is heard, and the message is believed. And those who believe the good news, those who call on the name of the Lord, are saved. It’s that simple.
God of grace and beauty, thank you for those who bring the good news of your saving grace. Help us to listen to them and to hear and believe the good news that they are bringing to us. Help us to do what we can to spread that good news. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
Getting it right
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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For they are well instructed; their God teaches them (Isaiah 28:26).
Read Isaiah 28:23–29
I’m intrigued by the language that the prophet uses in this text. We have crops being sown, scattered and planted. We distinguish between seeds, which are embryonic plants used for reproduction, and grain, which refers specifically to dry, edible seeds harvested from grasses for food. God teaches the farmer the right way to go about their work.
We can see God as the wise and practical farmer who knows what is best to do for each ‘seed’. God determines where the seed is planted, how it is tended, harvested and threshed. There are different methods for threshing and preparing the seeds and grains for use. It is important to use the right implement and process for each seed and grain.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I were someone else, or somewhere else, or better looking, or wealthier, or … The list goes on. But deep down, I know that I need to ‘grow where I am planted’.
God has put us where we are for a purpose. God is wise and knows what is best for us. God has a plan for each of us, and because of God’s wisdom, we will not be tested beyond our endurance. We can put our trust in God, rejoice in the opportunities before us, and in the generous way God provides for us each and every day and the way God prepares us for what life brings us.
As part of God’s plan, each of us has a vocation, a calling – in our family and our friendship groups, in our working life, in our church and community, even into retirement. Why not take some time to reflect on where you are placed, who God is calling you to be and what God is calling you to do? God has planted you and me where we are. Let’s pray that we can be healthy plants in God’s garden, nurturing our faith and bringing God’s love to life.
God of wisdom and strength, you know who you want us to be. Help us to have faith in you so that we happily grow where we are planted, living our lives to your glory and to the good of those around us. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.