Tag: Ecclesiastes

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Jesus Napped – Ecclesiastes 4:5-6

The Kohelet here writes about a balanced approach to rest, both noting that laziness is wrong and self-defeating but that rest itself is vital.

We see rest throughout scriptures, starting in Genesis where God Himself models rest in the creation of the universe, to Exodus where God promises to bring Moses rest by way of His own presence, to the gospels where we see Jesus napping on a boat while the a storm rose up.

There are a few principles we can use when we look to build an intentional practice of rest. First, we should set aside time to do things other than those that are designed to “move the needle” or “get ahead” whether in our career or school goals or earning the approval of others. For some, mowing the lawn may be a restful activity, for others it is an extension of anxiety about social approval. Grocery shopping can be a peaceful activity or it can be work depending on how you are coming to it.

At the same time, we should understand that the presence of anxiety does not mean we are not being restful. Rest itself means priorizing our mental and emotional health – so it can encompass getting counseling or even medication. Just as we go to the doctor while still trusting in God for physical healing, we can do the same for our mental, behavioral and brain health.

This can be countercultural, as even in the church we absorb much of society’s pressure to work hard and get ahead. But we are called, even commanded, to prioritize rest.

Not only that, but we are promised that the small patches of rest we are able to scratch out for ourselves here on earth will find their fulfillment in the ultimate rest offered us when we meet our creator face to face.

— Sermon Notes, Alison Robison, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, July 2, 2023

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Competition – Ecclesiastes 4:4-16

Competiton is a natural state of humanity, and isn’t necessarily even a bad thing. Good runners get better when competing against other good runners. But as followers of Jesus, we cannot let competition get in the way of the command to love our neighbor.

Even outside of our specific religious commands, though, Ecclesiastes describes how this focus on competition can turn into a life alone and isolated from one another. We see this in the story of the childless man who nonetheless works himself to death in isolation. We see this in the story of the arrogant king who will take no advice.

That story calls back to the beginning of the chapter, which laments the oppression and evil of the world, to the extent that the Kohelet calls the dead and unborn better off than the living.

As a church, we have a different priority than competition with others, both corporately and individually. Our purpose is to love God and love others, and that toil is never wasted.

— Sermon Notes, Alison Robison, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, June 25, 2023