The only way to have a life which is not meaningless is to have the life God gives you in the resurrected Christ.
Wisdom literature can be tough to preach on. Usually, people see this kind of text and pass through to another reading. However, this selection offers an opportunity to develop practical insight into the Lord’s work in our lives, and it fosters a teaching on trust in the Lord that can give us an experience of the faith with Christ.
Since it is hard to relate to wisdom literature, we are going to walk through the Relational Structure[1] for preaching to facilitate our development of this sermon.
“The relational sermon structure, articulated by Andy Stanley in his work “Communicating for a Change,” uses the dynamics of relationships to organize the experiences of the sermon. The relationships considered are those between the preacher, the people, and God. According to Stanley, the sermon is built around relationship rather than content and intentionally fosters the formation of a relationship within which content is communicated to the hearers. It does this in five sections, moving from a personal orientation toward the topic (ME), to identification of how the community relates to the topic (WE), to illumination of God’s Word on the topic (GOD), to application of God’s work in the life experience of each individual hearer (YOU), and finally to the inspiration of God’s people for God’s work among and through them in the future (WE).”[2]
ME: Here you can talk about your personal experience of aging in the sermon. You can explore the strange phenomenon that in the first half of life you spent it on getting things. You are working so hard to get and to get and to secure for yourself the kind of life you aspire to have (give personal examples). But then, somewhere along the way, instead of getting, life starts taking from you. It may start with your hair or your waistline or your skills, but then it moves to your relationships, your contribution, and your reputation. Then life starts taking loved ones, family, and your ableness. Until finally, God comes and takes away your very last breath. In that moment and in all the moments of getting and taking in life, the questions I always ponder are, “Do I trust God with all these things? Can I trust God, that even if He takes my final breath, He will give it back again?”
WE: This is now where you relate to your hearers. Ask them to consider how, maybe, they know what you feel like here. Now, in the sermon you want to begin to use a variety of serial depictions to build a matrix of their shared experiences which allow them to see that this is, in fact, the way of the world and we can all relate to this experience.
Jesus gave up His breath/Spirit on the cross and God resuscitated/resurrected Him on the third day and gave Him an indestructible life of eternal significance.
GOD: Here, we invite them to see that God’s Word knows exactly how we feel. Listen to Solomon, the chief example of “getting” from the ancient world.
“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity... I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind”[3]
Make special note, here in the sermon, of how his words might as well be ours.
As Solomon continues (verses 18-26), he talks about the person who leaves a legacy and how that is meaningless as well because you do not get to enjoy it with those who are left behind. Unless, of course, you are talking about Jesus. He alone is the One who leaves His legacy, His inheritance, to us at His death, but then rises again so He might enjoy this legacy, this inheritance, with us.
You see, if God will take your last breath (the word “vanities” in the text is the same word as breath) you can trust He will give it back again because of what He did in raising Jesus back from the grave. Jesus gave up His breath/Spirit on the cross and God resuscitated/resurrected Him on the third day and gave Him an indestructible life of eternal significance. The only way to have a life which is not meaningless is to have the life God gives you in the resurrected Christ.
Which moves us to the YOU section of the sermon. This is where you can develop the lived-out function of the teaching from the text. Pour meaning back into their lives by pointing out the wisdom of living a Christ centered life. Use practical example after practical example of how this text changes when trust in God is all you need.
Finally, this leads to the WE portion of the sermon. Here, you can use the story of Job as an example of this lived meaning of wisdom. Job then becomes a grandfather of the faith, a patriarch of our community of believers. He is a man who spent his life in getting and certainly an example of life taking away as well. Yet, all the while, he trusts in God even after His death (Job 19:23-27). We sit with Job in silence pondering the wisdom of God. We are careful not to speak out of turn like his foolish friends did. Instead, because of this wisdom from God we are more like Mary (Luke 10:38-42) when she sat at the feet of Jesus. Here, too, is another member of our community of the faithful. Mary, who did the one thing needful and, instead of trying to earn Jesus’ favor by her constant fretting and doing, she sat at His feet in silence, learning from His wisdom and trusting in Him as Messiah. It is a life filled with endless meaning in the eternal presence of the Son of God.
It is important when developing the details of this sermon structure that:
“It begins with an act of trust: The preacher builds a relationship with the people, sharing his personal investment in the focus or function of the sermon in a way that highlights the common ground he has with the hearers. Often, this connection is one in which the preacher is honest about tensions or struggles he encounters in relation to the topic at hand. The preacher then expands participation in this personal experience by recognizing his hearers and inviting them to see the various ways in which they also are involved in the topic. Here, the preacher recognizes the diversity of the hearers and names the numerous ways they relate to the topic at hand. During this engagement, God’s people have a vision of the community of faith, the body of Christ, and the experiences shared with one another and brought before God this day. The sermon, then, shifts at this point to consider God’s relationship with His people, allowing the text to clarify God’s work and His will for His people gathered this day. After this orientation toward God, the sermon returns to the people with a more personal approach (YOU), naming the way in which God’s Word and work apply to each hearer’s life. In conclusion, the sermon moves from the individual to the larger community of faith. Here, the preacher addresses the community again, noting the various aspects of faith experience brought up in the earlier communal section, often allowing the Word of God to reframe that life experience, and ultimately turning attention to the future, sharing a common vision for God’s people based on this Word from God today.”[4]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12–14.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12–14.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/relational/
[2] ibid
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14.
[4] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/relational/
