Introducing Ecclesiastes, Morning Praise (3)

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened a new short series on Ecclesiastes, one of the harder books to sit with, and used it to speak honestly about a week that had left a lot of people shaken. He tied the book's central question about meaning directly to what he sees happening in Jackson and at First B right now. The setup for the whole message came from a true story. Pastor Ray had recommended Ephesians to a friend...

Read together

1. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 read before the offering as the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep his commandments
2. 1 Kings 3:5-13 read to show how Solomon received his wisdom, God appearing to Solomon in a dream and granting his request for a discerning heart
3. Ecclesiastes 12:8 quoted as the near-end declaration that everything is meaningless
4. Ecclesiastes 12:13 quoted directly as the conclusion: fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man
5. Exodus 3:5 cited as the mission team verse about standing on holy ground, take off your shoes

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described Ecclesiastes as long, confusing, and discouraging, and said that without God in the picture, everything under the sun appears meaningless. Where have you seen that kind of hopelessness play out in the lives of people around you?
2. Pastor Ray said that leaving God out of the equation ultimately leads to one of two places: despair or hedonism. Do you think that is true, and have you seen either of those patterns in your own life or in people you know?
3. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is to fear God and keep His commandments, which Pastor Ray connected to Jesus summing up the law as loving God and loving your neighbor. How does having that anchor change the way ordinary daily life feels compared to an under-the-sun view?
4. Pastor Ray pointed out that Teton County has the highest teen suicide rate in Idaho, and said he believed loving people recklessly is what breaks through to that. What does reckless love for teenagers in this valley actually look like in practice?
5. Pastor Ray asked the congregation to commit to praying specifically for the youth ministry at First B. What would it take for you personally to make that a consistent, specific prayer rather than a general one?