END! {ECCLESIASTES] [PSALM 90].

JESUS GIVE US WORK TO DO, ALL OUR DAYS,
 AND GIVE US GOOD TO DO IN OUR WORK.
GIVE US THE GRACE TO SEE THAT WE HAVE BEEN
CREATED FOR MORE THAN WORK.
HELP US TO MAKE OUR WORK INTO OUR MINISTRY.
TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND FOR HUMAN GOOD.

"IN THE END THE MEANING OF THE BOOK; IS A SEARCH FOR THE KEY TO THE MEANING OF OUR LIFE. FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE IS NOT TO BE FOUND"  IN THE ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE, MONEY, SENSUAL PLEASURES, OPPRESSION,  OR RELIGIOUS FOLLY.  THESE PROVE EMPTY, OR SOMETHING HAPPENS AGAINST WHICH THEY ARE HELPLESS.  SO THE PLAN FOR US IS TO TAKE OUR LIFE EACH DAY FROM THE HAND OF GOD, AND ENJOY IT FROM HIM AND FOR HIM.

                                                         "ECCLESIASTES.
THE WORDS OF THE PREACHER, THE "SON OF DAVID", KING IN JERUSALEM.
VANITY OF VANITIES, SAITH THE PREACHER, VANITY OF VANITIES; ALL IS VANITY.      WHAT PROFIT HATH A MAN OF ALL HIS LABOR WHICH HE TAKETH ( PERFORMS) UNDER THE SUN? ONE GENERATION PASSETH AWAY, AND ANOTHER GENERATION COMETH: BUT THE EARTH ABIDETH FOREVER. THE SUN ALSO ARISETH , AND THE SUN GOETH DOWN, AND HASTETH TO HIS PLACE WHERE HE AROSE. THE WIND GOETH TOWARD THE SOUTH, AND TURNETH ABOUT INTO THE NORTH; IT WHIRLETH ABOUT CONTINUALLY, AND THE WIND RETURNETH AGAIN ACCORDING TO HIS CIRCUITS. ALL THE RIVERS RUN INTO THE SEA; YET THE SEA IS NOT FULL; UNTO THE PLACE FROM WHENCE THE RIVERS, THITHER THEY RETURN AGAIN. ALL THINGS ARE FULL OF LABOR; (WEARINESS) MAN CANNOT UTTER IT: THE EYE IS NOT SATISFIED WITH SEEING, NOR THE EAR FILLED WITH HEARING. THE THING THAT HATH BEEN, IT IS THAT WHICH SHALL BE AND THAT WHICH IS DONE IS THAT WHICH SHALL BE DONE: AND THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN. IS THERE ANYTHING WHERE OF IT MAY BE SAID, SEE, THIS IS NEW? IT HATH BEEN OF OLD TIME, WHICH WAS BEFORE US. THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF FORMER THINGS; NEITHER SHALL THERE BE ANY REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS THAT ARE TO COME WITH THOSE, THAT SHALL COME AFTER. I THE PREACHER WAS KING OVER ISRAEL IN JERUSALEM. I GAVE MY HEART TO SEEK AND SEARCH OUT BY WISDOM CONCERNING ALL THINGS THAT ARE DONE UNDER HEAVEN: THIS SORE TRAVAIL HATH GOD GIVEN TO THE SONS OF MAN TO BE EXERCISED THEREWITH (BUSY WITH).
I HAVE SEEN ALL THE WORKS THAT ARE DONE UNDER THE SUN; AND, BEHOLD,  ALL IS VANITY AND A VEXATION OF THE SPIRIT. THAT WHICH IS CROOKED CANNOT BE MADE STRAIGHT AND THAT WHICH IS WANTED CANNOT BE NUMBERED.
I COMMUNED WITH MINE OWN HEART, SAYING LO, I AM COME TO GREAT ESTATE, AND HAVE GOTTEN MORE WISDOM THAN ALL THEY THAT HAVE BEEN BEFORE ME IN JERUSALEM: YEA, MY HEART HAD GREAT EXPERIENCE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE, AND I GAVE MY HEART TO KNOW WISDOM, AND TO KNOW MADNESS AND FOLLY: I PERCEIVED THAT THIS ALSO IS A VEXATION OF  SPIRIT. FOR IN MUCH WISDOM IS MUCH GRIEF. AND HE THAT INCREASETH KNOWLEDGE INCREASETH SORROW. (ECCLESIASTES 1-18).
 WILLIAM BROWN IN HIS BOOK ( CHARACTER IN CRISIS) SAYS THIS ABOUT THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES: THAT IT IS AT ROOT A CONFESSION OF DISILLUSION ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL AND THE FRUSTRATION OF WORK IN PARTICULAR FOR AN ACHIEVEMENT- ORIENTED SOCIETY. Q0HELETH'S MESSAGE SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO WITH GREAT AND AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR SUCCESS ARE RIPE FOR DISILLUSIONMENT, WHETHER IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, POLITICS, RAISING CHILDREN, MINISTRY, OR ACADEMIA. IN EVERY VOCATION THERE IS STRUGGLES OVER THE PERCEIVED LACK OF EFFECTIVENESS  AND PROGRESS THAT CAN BRING ONE TO THE BRINK OF BURNOUT AND CLEARLY. MISGUIDED REASONS, QOHELETH POINTS OUT, IT'S ALL TOO EASY TO FALL INTO A TRAP OF PINNING ONE'S HOPE ON THE HUMAN CAPACITY TO FULFILL DREAMS AND GOALS. NO MATTER HOW LOFTY AND WORTHY, ONLY TO HAVE MANY OF THEM SACRIFICED  UPON THE ALTAR
QOHELETH IS NOT SAYING THAT ONE SHOULD NOT HAVE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
WORK COULD NOT EXIST WITHOUT THEM. RATHER, THE DANGER LIES IN ATTACHING PERSONAL FULFILLMENT TO THE END RESULT,  FOR GOD ALONE KNOWS WHAT THE RESULT MIGHT HOLD. PERHAPS THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. THERE IS SO MUCH MODERN WORK THAT IS DULL, BORING, AND REPETITIVE. WE HAVE REPLACED THE BOREDOM OF THE ASSEMBLY LINE WITH PERHAPS THE GREATER BOREDOM OF THE COMPUTER TERMINAL. OUR ANCIENT SAGE IN ECCLESIASTES NAMED QOHELETH STARES AT THE WORK OF HIS HANDS, HIS HUMAN LABOR, AND DECLARES IT IS ALL "CHASING AFTER THE WIND." HE GIVES US A LITANY OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS: " I BUILD, AND  I MADE GREAT, I PLANTED, I MADE, I BOUGHT, I GATHERED. ANYTHING THAT WAS WORTH DOING, HE SAID HE DID. HOWEVER, ALL OF THIS DOING IS MERE ILLUSION. IT ALL GOES DOWN TO DEATH. I READ THIS STORY ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO VISITED THIS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION , WHERE THEY WERE RAISING A CONSIDERABLE SUM TO BY A  PORTRAIT OF THEIR PRESIDENT, AS HE ENTERED RETIREMENT. THE YOUNG MAN OVERHEARD THE HOST ASKING, " I WONDER WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO PUT UP PORTRAITS OF OURSELVES AT COLLEGES? I SUPPOSE IT IS BECAUSE, SO MUCH OF WHAT WE DO BECOMES QUICKLY DATED AND FORGOTTEN. MOST OF IT IS INVISIBLE, FRAGILE. BY ADORNING OUR WALLS WITH PORTRAITS OF OURSELVES, THERE IS AN ILLUSION, THAT SOME OF THIS LASTS. IT IS INTERESTING THAT ECCLESIASTES, RATHER THAN SAYING WORK IS POINTLESS AND THEREFORE OUGHT TO BE AVOIDED, URGES ENTHUSIASTIC, VIGOROUS ENGAGEMENT IN WORK. WORK IS ONE OF THE THINGS GOD GIVES US TO DO. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME GOD WORKED THROUGH YOU IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU KNEW BEYOND DOUBT GOD HAD DONE IT. SOUNDS LIKE A LITTLE "OPUS DEI" SNEAKING IN. NOTHING, BUT GOD'S FULLEST BLESSING WILL DO.
WHILE THE RESULTS OF OUR WORK MAY NOT LAST FOREVER, IN THE MEANTIME, WORK IS JOYOUS, ACTIVE CREATION. Q0HELETH'S VIEW OF WORK, IS THAT IT OUGHT TO BE ENJOYED FOR ITS OWN SAKE; AND GIVEN TO GOD'S GLORY.
QOHELETH SAYS: WORK CAN RENDER ENJOYMENT. THERE IS JOY IN WORK BORN OUT OF A SENSE OF ACCEPTANCE OF LIFE'S LIMITS. WE CAN CHERISH THE TIME WE HAVE TO WORK. LET'S FACE IT, MOST OF THE TROUBLE WE GET INTO WITH OUR WORK IS WHEN WE FAIL TO KEEP WORK IN TS PLACE. WE BECOME OBSESSIVE,  THROUGH OUR WORK, MAKING OUR WORK AN IDOL PRESUMING TO SECURE OURSELVES THROUGH OUR WORK. TO QoHELETH, ALL OF THIS MERE "CHASING AFTER THE WIND."  BETTER TO ENJOY THE SIMPLE PLEASURES OF LIFE,  THE DAY TO DAY ROUTINE OF IT ALL.S OF, THE RHYTHM OF IT ALL. NOW THAT I'M RETIRED, HOW MANY MORNINGS, GOING TO WORK I REALIZE THE SIMPLE JOY, JUST HAVING A PLACE TO GO, A REASON TO GET UP: THEN I DECIDED TO SPEND MY TIME HAVING FUN, BECAUSE I FELT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING BETTER IN ALL THE EARTH (UNDER THE SUN.) THAT MAN SHOULD EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, WITH THE HOPE THAT THIS HAPPINESS WOULD STICK WITH HIM IN ALL THE HARD WORK WHICH GOD GIVES TO  MANKIND EVERYWHERE. IN MY SEARCH FOR WISDOM, I OBSERVED ALL THAT WAS GOING ON EVERYWHERE ACROSS THE EARTH--CEASELESS ACTIVITY, DAY AND NIGHT. ( OF COURSE, ONLY GOD CAN SEE EVERYTHING, AND EVEN THE WISEST MAN WHO SAYS HE KNOW EVERYTHING DOESN'T!) ECCL. 8:15-17). THE WORST TROUBLE WE GET INTO IS DUE TO OUR PRETETIONS, OUR OBSESSIVE NEED AND DESIRE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT LASTS BEYOND OUR OWN DAILY EFFORTS.
 NO IT DOESN'T LAST FOREVER. BUT FOR THE MOMENT, TODAY, IT IS JOY ENOUGH.
THUS THE PLEASURES OF OUR EFFORTS ARE MUNDANE, AND YET STILL WORTH APPRECIATING. THE GREAT PHILOSOPHERS OFTEN SET AS A TEST FOR TRUTH, THAT  TRUTH MUST BE"NONCONTINGENT"  MUST BE NOT DEPENDENT UPON ANYTHING ELSE, MUST STAND ALONE, MUST STAND ETERNALLY ALONE,MUST BE FREE FROM THE RAVAGES OF TIME AND THE CHANGES OF THE SEASONS.  BUT THIS IS A PAGAN TEST. FOR CHRISTIANS, TRUTH,  THE VALUE OF AN IDEA, OR THE VALUE OF US AND WHAT WE DO IS CONTINGENT, DEPENDENT UPON GOD TO GIVE US SIGNIFICANCE.
THE GREATEST WISDOM IS NOT IN ACCUMULATION OF ETERNALLY UNASSAILABLE
 TRUTH, BUT RATHER IN OBTAINING A PROPER REVERENCE AND ACCEPTANCE OF LIFE ON ITS OWN TERMS, ALONG WITH ITS LIMITS. WHICH ARE OFTEN MIXED WITH JOY DESPITE THE LIMITS. GOD IS ETERNAL. WE ARE NOT. WE NEED TO LIVE ANXIOUSLY  BECAUSE OF OUR OWN FINITUDE , WITH CONTINUAL CALCULATION AND WORRY. JOY COMES TO US SERENDIPITOUSLY. AS SURPRISE. A GIFT. GRACE. WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY  OF ACHIEVEMENT AND ACQUISITION. WE ARE AMBITIOUS, CONSTANTLY MAKING PLANS, SETTING GOALS, STRIVING AND MOVING AND MOVING FORWARD. BUT WHERE DOES IT LEAD?  OUR GOALS, OUR GREAT OBJECTIVE ARE OFTEN "CHASING AFTER THE WIND."  OUR WORK BECOMES OPPRESSIVE WHEN WE ASK TOO MUCH OF IT, WHEN WE INSIST THAT WHAT WE DO LASTS FOREVER, THAT IT BE THE SOLE MEANING AND PURPOSE. WE MUST DO MORE THEN  WORK. WE MUST LEARN HOW TO HAVE LIFE, MORE THAN SIMPLY MAKING A LIVING. THUS PSALM 90 SAYS: " PROSPER FOR US THE WORK OF OUR HANDS---------- O PROSPER THE WORK OF OUR HANDS." IN THE END, ALL OF THIS MAY, IN GOD'S GRACIOUS PLAN, COUNT FOR SOMETHING. THIS IS OUR LAST BEST HOPE.