everyone thinks they're going the wrong way

but they're looking at their maps all wrong

A sermon on the intro to Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes has a reputation. Doesn’t it? It’s not a fun read. It’s pessimistic. And it barely even seems religious at all! All in all, Ecclesiastes and passages like this one are a bit intimidating. Aren’t they?

But that needn’t be the case. Ecclesiastes doesn’t necessarily undermine the faith. In fact, Ecclesiastes might even strengthen yours. No matter what, though, what Ecclesiastes has to say is as plain as day. It’s as plain as day.

For instance, something as trite as the Rocky franchise perfectly illustrates the point “the Quester” wants to make in today’s passage. That’s right, Rocky. And just out of curiosity, *who here has seen Rocky? *Raise your hand if you’ve seen it, please. Ok. Thank you. 

Even if you haven’t seen Rocky, I bet you know its premise. Don’t you? The young and a little directionless Rocky gets the chance of a lifetime when the reining champion, Apollo Creed, selects him for a last-minute exhibition match. With grit and not a little determination, Rocky lasts all 15 rounds. In the end, Rocky loses the match, but really, he’s won. He fought the battle that mattered most. He went the distance. 

Sure, it’s cliche. But’s it’s also effective. Rocky is a good movie. Isn’t it? And on that note, I think we can all agree the first Rocky is the best one.

*Raise your hand if you agree. *Raise your hand if you think the first Rocky is the best one in the franchise. I thought so. And just to be sure, there aren’t any anarchists here who think Rocky 4 is best. Are there? No? Good!

Do you know why the first Rocky is the best one, though? It’s not that the other movies lost the subtlety and heart of the first one—although they did. No, the other Rocky movies aren’t as good because, after initially proving himself in the ring, the “Italian Stallion” was forever doomed to have to maintain that achievement.

Rocky would never again know the thrill of just proving himself to himself! After that first victory, Rocky was consigned to defend himself. And he wasn’t even defending himself! No, he was just fighting for his reputation! And sure, that’s no small thing, but it’s nothing compared to the really meaningful battles of life. Is it?

Yes, the movies would try to recapture the magic of the first one. But the only trick they had up their sleeve was more and more over-the-top villains. Granted, the other movies had their moments. But after the first one, the real drama was just lost. And in this way, Hollywood, of all places, confirmed what the Bible has to say!

…We always tell ourselves we’re just a hair’s breadth away from fulfillment. But, as the Rocky franchise teaches, the more you pursue it, the further you get from it! It was the Rolling Stones who howled, “I can’t GET no satisfaction.” And in that, they were surprisingly theological.

But they would know. Wouldn’t they? If ever there was a band known for excess, the Rolling Stones might be atop that list. But for all their revelry, Mick Jagger and crew could get NO satisfaction. 

A generation sang along with them, too. And maybe, at the time, it was a defiant challenge. The song was an anthem to the refusal to be satisfied. But these days, the song is more of a fatalistic groan. Isn’t it?

We CAN’T get NO satisfaction. We don’t choose to be unsatisfied. No, now we just can’t get satisfied. We’ve searched, but, like today’s passage, satisfaction has eluded us. 

This seems to be what most of our “prestige” media is about, too. Our stories no longer portray the eager pursuits of the future. No, now we tend to depict sad, little people wallowing in the ashes of dashed hopes and hoarded pillage. The present is not marked by expectation. No, now disappointment is the name of our tiresome little game now.

This outcome tends to surprise us, too. Doesn’t it? We don’t seem to have anticipated that chasing contentment would land us so far away from it. But maybe it shouldn’t have surprised us. We had been warned. After all, today’s passage is older than Kieth Richard, believe it or not!

You know what, though? As we noticed at the beginning of this sermon, today’s warning isn’t all that obscure. Honestly, life itself teaches us this very same lesson. And it teaches us this lesson regularly, too. Trust me, you have plenty of personal experience with this paradox. 

Here, let’s try this: Think of a time you were just content. Go ahead. Think of one. I’ll wait…

Got something? I hope so. I hope so because we all need those quiet moments of peace to get through the mean times. Don’t we? 

And I hope you have something because I’m going to ask you to share. That’s right, we’re going to share. So, if you haven’t come up with something yet, start thinking. When was a time you were content? And to give you a little time to think, I’ll talk.

First of all, there’s some information in the simple fact that it’s not so easy for us to come up with an example. Isn’t it? Sadly, we’re not all that at peace. Are we? No, on the contrary, we’re restless.

That’s a bit ironic, though. Isn’t it? We’re all running hither and yon, trying to win that good life. But, for all our racing, the finish line never seems to get any closer. Does it? If anything, the harder you run, the further it gets!

And our inability to consider that the game might be rigged shows just how trapped we are! It’s Luther’s observation about free will all over again! The very fact that we won’t consider our will might not be free demonstrates just how unfree we actually are! The simple fact that we won’t consider there might be a different way than running after that good life rules out the very possibility that we might ever just stop and enjoy ourselves!

…I hope it’s obvious I’m speaking from personal experience here, too; I know what it’s like to be caught on that treadmill. I’m unhappy to tell you it took me more thought than I wish to come up with my answer. After thinking a little, though, I realized I had such a moment just a few weeks ago. 

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed with all these unification details. There’s always more to do. Currently, it’s the website. But, no matter what, there’s something hanging over my head. 

A couple weeks ago, I could tell it was getting the better of me. So, on Friday, I decided to take a walk at Starr’s Cave. And I love Starr’s Cave! It’s our own little oasis right here in town. Plus, Zach Bryan’s new album came out. So, I brought my headphones to listen closely during my walk. 

Now, I know that kind of defeats the purpose of being out in nature. But I decided I wasn’t going to pile on myself. I wanted to be outdoors. I wanted to move my body. And I wanted to listen to that album. So, instead of trying to do everything just right, I just headed out. 

Let me tell you, it was just what I needed! This new album isn’t as good as some of his previous ones. But it’s not bad. And it has some pretty great moments, too. I especially like the song Pink Skies. 

Driving home after my hike, I felt a little relieved! A weight had been lifted! Yes, everything wasn’t done. Nevertheless, I was content.

But what about you? When was a time you were content? Go ahead and share your answer. As always, look around. Invite others to play along. 

And as always, you don’t have to play, either. You can pass. And if you can’t think of anything, that’s ok, too. Just go ahead and say this was a tough one for you. Oh, and pay attention for similarities, too. Please. 

Ok. That’s enough stalling. When was a time you were content? Go ahead and share your answer with one another.

…Well, how was it? I bet it was pleasant. Wasn’t it? Remember that! Simply recalling the good times is a way to enjoy them all over again! Delight doesn’t lose its potency over time! Quite the contrary, like good wine, it gets richer with age.

And sharing these memories also multiplies the pleasure, too! Doesn’t it? As one of my favorite poets says, “The joy that isn’t shared dies young.” So, don’t hold back on sharing your memories. 

But don’t miss out on the flip side of this little treat, either. Make sure to ask others to share their favorite memories, too! This is a cherry on top! Not only will you get the pleasure of hearing their stories, you’ll also get to open the door for someone else to experience that joy. And as someone who just got watch y’all do that, let me tell you, it’s pretty sweet!

Ok. And what about this: Did anyone notice any similarities when you shared your answer?

Obviously, I can’t know for sure, but I suspect there were. In particular, like my example, I bet yours had little to do with achievement. I bet yours had little to do with achievement. But what do you think? Am I onto something?

I think I am. Yes, there’s the pleasure of a job well done. But, some of the sweetest parts of life are the ones that just come free and easy. Often, the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan on! They just happened! And they left you gobsmacked by how good life can be all by itself.

That’s what we’re all after, too. Isn’t it? Yet, for all our striving, we don’t seem to get any closer to those gently miraculous instances of life. Do we? No, on the contrary, the more you chase them, the more they vanish right before your eyes.

You know what, though? That’s how it goes! You don’t attain contentment. That’s a contradiction! No, contentment just happens TO you. And should you try to reach for it, it’ll turn to smoke on you and disappear in the wind!

Ah! There it is! It’s today’s passage! Isn’t it? The Quester isn’t being pessimistic! No, the Quester is just being realistic! 

Today’s passage simply describes how life really goes! If you work your life away, it’ll turn to smoke on you! If you only pursue your own desires, your life won’t amount to anything! The Rolling Stones were right! Weren’t they? You can’t GET no satisfaction! 

It’s get that’s the keyword! You can’t GET no satisfaction. No, you are satisfied. You are satisfied, and that’s it. You are satisfied, or you’ll never be. Full stop.

…We always think if you just do this, that, or the other, we’ll finally be happy. But the Quester tells you that’s totally backward! Trying to achieve happiness is a surefire way to ensure you'll never be satisfied! Trying to make yourself happy is a recipe for always being just a little disappointed! 

This doesn’t mean happiness is beyond us, though. Clearly. We all have some experience with contentment. Don’t we? And this is what today’s passage says, too!

Far from being nihilistic or hedonistic, the Quester simply puts forth a thoroughly reasonable proposition! Delight isn’t achieved. It’s received! Delight isn’t achieved. It’s received! And what’s more, if you insist on earning this gift, you'll destroy it every time. 

And that’s what always ruins gifts! Isn’t it? Insisting you deserve a gift or demanding others earn your largess destroys gifts every time!

But this just begs the question. Doesn’t it? How are we ever going to get ourselves to stop?!? We can’t seem to quit. Can we? We’re compulsive doers!

We’re so afraid of losing even a step, we never let ourselves stop. It’s why we’re such easy marks! It’s why we make time for everything else. All they have to do is just suggest that we might miss out a little, and we’re forking over our hard-earned money and all too easily lost time, too. Aren’t we?

Well, here’s a little good news: you’re already at that dead-end! You can’t stop, and it’s not working! That’s rock bottom! But now that you can’t do anything, you finally don’t need to do anything! At last, you’re right where all of life’s gifts come at you fast and furious! 

But guess what? That’s where you’ve been all along! Life has always been a gift! You’ve just been too busy to notice! Now that you can’t fool yourself, though, you’re finally ready to receive it all! 

And here it is: God isn’t holding back on you! And God isn’t holding back from you, either! No, in Jesus Christ, God is as close as your next breath or heartbeat. And if that wasn’t enough, although it is— but, if it wasn’t, by the Holy Spirit, God also gives you your very next breath and heartbeat, too!

…But that’s just the start! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you’ve been given everything! And on account of Jesus Christ, you have eternity, too! Fulfillment has always just been a hair’s breadth away! You’ve just been going the wrong way! 

Peace isn’t somewhere *out there! No, peace has a name, and it’s Jesus Christ, the prince of peace! And he’s right *here! And Jesus gives himself to you, too!

In your baptism, the Holy Spirit clothes you with his Christ’s long ago. In these words, Jesus rides into your heart on the unfailing wind of the Holy Spirit right now! And in communion, the Holy Spirit feeds you with Christ’s immortal body and blood that opens God’s future to you, too!

You’ve been given something that elicits your satisfaction, makes you content, and even creates saving faith, to boot! And in all that, suddenly, everything comes to be one more gift freely flowing from the hand of God! The sweet memories. The tear you can finally let fall. The balm of fellowship. The squeeze of a hand. Or just a knowing look. And the love of God upholding, supporting, and making it all happen, too!

Your future. Your past. This. Your every single breath and heartbeat. These come not just as another thing you should put to good use. No, they come as an actual part of the everything God has set out for you from the beginning of all time!

…And in all that, finally, at long last, is all the contentment you’ve been longing for all along! It’s all yours, too! And it’s always been yours! There’s nothing you have to do for it. And trying to is the best way to never receive it. 

But let’s not rehash that sad story. Shall we? Instead, let’s let the new one God is writing for us have its say! Our hymn of the Day is hymn number 636, How Small Our Span of Life. Hymn number 636, How Small Our Span of Life. Let’s sing!