Ecclesiastes 3:1–14
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
Prayer: O Lord, we thank you for rescuing us from a life of vanity and destruction and bringing us to a life of purpose and meaning through Jesus Christ our Savior. Let your Holy Spirit lead and guide our desires for Your eternal and unchanging kingdom and keep us from all things that would lead us astray. Amen.
A Time for Everything
Dear Friends in Christ,
I can remember thinking things would change when I finally turned double digits. When I am ten, then things will start to change. I will be considered part of the older kids. I will have more responsibilities. It will be great! When I turned double digits, I was a little disappointed that there was no drastic change. I remember then thinking—well maybe when I become a teenager then things will really be great. Sure enough, becoming a teenager wasn’t as significant as I thought it would be. Just a few more pimples and all that goes with it! I remember thinking that once I turn sixteen and get my license—then life will really be great! After I got my car and license, while I enjoyed the freedom a car provided, I learned to appreciate the days when I didn’t have to pay for gas or car repairs. At the end of high school, I looked forward to the independence that college would bring. However, it didn’t take long to realize what a blessing my peaceful home was with plenty of wonderful home cooked food and all my family. We could keep going on through every phase of life from dating to marriage to children to our early years to our middle-aged years to our retirement years. We are often looking forward to the next thing or phase of life. Yet, it never truly brings the peace or completeness we anticipated or hoped.
People tend to think that a future relationship, possession, or season will finally bring contentment and peace. And this thought is half true—something in the future will bring us peace. The problem is that our sinful flesh often looks to the wrong thing for peace. We chase after things that don’t last—whether that be material possessions which rust and decay, or a time of life which comes and go with the years. But our expectations fall short, our emptiness will not be filled with these things. It’s for this reason that Solomon begins the book of Ecclesiastes with these words, “’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:2–3).
Late in his years, Solomon shares some wisdom with us. During his life he had all that he could want—wisdom, money, power, influence, women, food and drink. There was nothing that he lacked. But after having everything he wanted, he says, “All is vanity,” “All is meaningless,” “Nothing but vapor.” Solomon realized that his pursuit of pleasure and satisfaction was an endless hamster wheel race. These things in and of themselves are devoid of meaning and purpose. They are empty calories.
You and I can fall into this hamster wheel race of life constantly seeking more or what is next, only to find ourselves as unfulfilled as we were before. When life is only about us and our earthly desires for what’s next, we will never be fully satisfied. When we think that we can orchestrate life to be what we need or want, we will be left with a meaningless life. This is why Martin Luther wrote, “Therefore one should commit things to God and make use of the present things, refraining from a lust for future things. If you do otherwise, you will have nothing but affliction” (LW 15:50).
Our desire for the future is not in and of itself a bad thing. In fact, our future longing is a good thing. Solomon writes that the Lord “has put eternity into man’s heart.” We long for peace. We long for things that do not change. We long to be with God for eternity. We long for happiness and contentment which can only be found in him. It has been said that each one of us has a God-shaped hole in us, which can only be filled by God. As one theologian wrote, “This infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself” (Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII).
When the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts through the Word of God, we find contentment and peace for our weary souls. We find a loving Father who created us, his only begotten Son who redeemed, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son to make us holy and set us apart as God’s own special people. In the Holy Trinity, we find peace that this world cannot give—a conscience unburdened by the weight of our sin, shame and guilt taken away, and confidence as we approach our death, knowing that eternity awaits for those who die in the Lord.
When we learn who we are and who God is, we are given the freedom to enjoy our various seasons of life. The times and seasons that Solomon speaks of. It’s because we realize that our life is not a product of our own doing or random chance. God has brought it about. Solomon says there is “a time to be born, and a time to die.” Who of us brought about our own birth? Who of us can know the hour of our death? None of us. That’s the point. God is the one who brings life and who numbers our days. God is the one who is in control. This is what leads us to sing (ELH 519:1):
What God ordains is always good:
His will abideth holy.
As He directs my life for me,
I follow meek and lowly.
My God indeed
In ev’ry need
Doth well know how to shield me;
To Him, then, I will yield me.
Certainly, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” When the Lord teaches us to not be so consumed about the cares of this life but then gives us joys, our hearts find true delight. Yet, when people only expect to be delighted, they will only find affliction and disappointment. Solomon encourages us, “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
We can take pleasure in our work, our daily duties and tasks, through which the Lord distracts us from the trouble of this world. Joy and purpose come by self-giving and sacrifice, a life which reflects God’s actions towards us. God gives us purpose and meaning in this life by laying out opportunities for us to love and serve our neighbor, to do good, not just for ourselves, but for others. This is what makes man delighted and gives him purpose. We give thanks to God who is the source of all joy and blessing. We love God and seek to serve our neighbor.
But we haven’t always loved God and served our neighbor. Because of our sin we didn’t know God and were unable to bring ourselves to him. We were in darkness.
It’s for this purpose that the Son of God became incarnate. He came to bring light to us who were trapped in darkness. He came to rescue us from a life of vanity which would lead to destruction in hell, by becoming the light and life of all men. “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4–5). Jesus Christ, true God, became truly human. He took upon himself our flesh and blood so that he could take our sins and burdens to the cross. During his life, Jesus performed miracle after miracle—multiplying bread and fish, casting out demons, raising the dead, and healing the sick. He did this to show that he was no ordinary man and that his Word was true. He manifested his power to confirm in our hearts that he was the Christ, the Messiah, come to save us from sin and death.
God’s timing is always right. Jesus came in the fullness of time. In our Gospel lesson, the Pharisees criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath—but it was the right time to heal. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. The rest and peace the Jews enjoyed on the Sabbath pointed to the rest that all people would find in Jesus, the Savior of the world.
In the Gospel lesson Jesus also teaches us to humble ourselves—don’t take the best seat if you go to a wedding, wait for the groom to give you a better seat. If we try to exalt ourselves in this life, we will be humbled. If we trust in our own works or efforts or timing, we will be brought low. But if we humble ourselves before the throne of grace, repenting of our sins and trusting in Jesus, we will be exalted. We don’t need honor or praise in this life, we can humbly live under the cross of Christ, because we know that God will exalt us in his good and perfect timing.
It’s this confidence in God’s perfect timing that allows us to find contentment in every season of life. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Whether it is the time for dancing or mourning, weeping or laughing, war or peace, we know that our good and gracious God is with us. When we experience joys, we can thank God for them. When we experience sorrows, we can thank God who has given us hope after death. When we enjoy peace, it is God’s gift. When there is war, we know that God will be with us. What we experience in this life will not last forever—which is why we long for something that will not change, rot, or decay. And because of Christ—we have just that.
As Solomon says, “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.” God is the one who secured our salvation. That will never change. God is the one who promised, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us all our sins.” Christ is the one who has defeated death and given us eternal hope by the power of his resurrection. That will never change. Jesus is the one who promised, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” That will never change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
You and I will go through different seasons of life, and we may at times find ourselves looking and longing for something more. The world will tell you it can be found in this thing or at this time. But don’t listen to the world. Listen to the Word of God. Because Christ and in Christ, you can find joy in your current station of life and look forward to the eternity that awaits. Amen.