Introducing Ecclesiastes, Traditions

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark opened the series in Ecclesiastes by introducing the book's famously discouraging reputation and explaining what makes it hard to read. He worked through the book's core argument and brought it home to where First B stands right now, particularly around youth ministry. The sermon began with a true story. A man Pastor Mark had met with during his internship asked what book he should...

Read together

1. 1 Kings 3:5-14 God appears to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and grants him wisdom, wealth and honor
2. Ecclesiastes 12:8 quoted to show Solomon still saying everything is meaningless near the end of the book
3. Ecclesiastes 12:13 quoted as the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man
4. Ecclesiastes 12:1 quoted as the opening of chapter 12: remember your creator in the days of your youth before the days of trouble come

Talk about it

1. The pastor's friend found Ecclesiastes long, confusing, and discouraging. Have you ever had a similar reaction to a part of the Bible? What was it, and what did you do with that reaction?
2. The pastor explained that the phrase 'under the sun' in Ecclesiastes describes looking at life from a purely earthly point of view, leaving God out of the equation. Where in your own life are you most tempted to look at things 'under the sun'?
3. Solomon says that without God, everything leads either to despair or to hedonism. Do you see those two responses in the people around you in Jackson? Which do you think is more common here, and why?
4. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is 'fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.' The pastor connected that to First B's motto of loving God and loving people through Christ. What does it look like practically for you to live out that conclusion this week?
5. The pastor pointed out that Teton County has the highest suicide rate in Idaho and that the church is losing a generation somewhere between childhood enthusiasm and adult faith. What do you think is happening in that gap, and what role could you personally play in helping young people move through it?