Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2: 18-23
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me —and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. Reflection Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! The author of Ecclesiastes (often called Qohelet, which is Hebrew for “the one who leads the congregation” or “the Teacher”) would not have enjoyed Ted Lasso. He would have snorted at the modern positivity movement and outright guffawed at any notion of “living your best life” or “finding your bliss.” In his mind everything in heaven and on earth was, at its core, absurd. That is probably a better translation of the Hebrew word habel, which has traditionally been translated as “vanity” (the NIV translates it as “meaninglessness”). Habel refers to vapor (it is the word from which Abel get’s his name, but that’s a story for another time). The teacher is saying that everything is like vapor: here one moment and gone the next; meaningless; absurd. Is he right? When you look at the world around you, do you agree? I have to say that the teacher’s words resonated with me; for all the value I see in the things around me, I can’t shake the fact that nothing is permanent and eventually, everything I know and love will be gone. And so I ask, “Why?” “Why is that the way it is?” I see two takeaways from today’s reading. First, Ecclesiastes gives us permission to ask the tough questions. Sometimes we think that asking “why” is off limits. Sometimes we think that questioning God is unfaithful. Ecclesiastes says the opposite: “Go ahead. Ask your questions. Vent your anger and despair. God can take it.” Ecclesiastes shows us that expressing our frustration to and with God is one of the most faithful acts. Second, Ecclesiastes does not stand alone. It is one book in a larger canon, a larger story of God’s love for us. I think we need to wrestle with the teacher’s questions. I think we need to explore the seeming absurdity of existence. But after we have taken some time to dwell in the teacher’s existential angst, we return to God’s love. We remember that we were created by and for love; and we remember that we don’t yet have all the facts—the story of God’s love isn’t yet finished. --Jim Vitale Prayer God of love, sometimes we look around us and see that all life seems absurd and meaningless. Give us the courage to vent to you when we are angry and the faith to rest in your love. Amen.
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