A season not a reason
Commentary
These three scriptures together point to the reality of the world we live in. Part of that reality is self-evident. The ups and downs of ordinary life are not always to be seen as rewards or punishments, but as simply the sort of thing we’re all heir to. Too often we want to interpret natural disasters, accidents, and the ordinary course of life or death as God’s response to good or bad behavior. The Teacher who wrote Ecclesiastes has seen it all, and he knows that bad things happen to good people, and, yes, sometimes good things happen to bad people. This is the universe that is visible to us. Don’t overthink it.
The second scripture from the Revelation to John shows us that despite the cyclical ups and downs we experience history is heading towards glory, and the ending of God’s history is good -- very good. The best of what we experience will be retained, and glories we can’t imagine will ensue. All will be well!
The third scripture ties the two together. There will be a glorious end to history, but our response to the ups and downs of our lives will be the thing we’ll be judged on -- ministry and care for those on the margins of society will demonstrate if we have been saved by our faith, and are faithful!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
This kind of stuff happens. The list of events in this passage of Ecclesiastes is not exhaustive, but the events listed -- life, death, war, peace, mourning, dancing, weeping, laughing -- are meant to suggest that in life it’s likely we’ll experience all of these things, not as a result of God’s direct will but as a matter of course.
This is a description of time. There is no prescription here. Nor is there a hint that everything is the direct result of God’s will. Accidents occur; so will wars and natural disasters. Life and death. Laughter and weeping. This is not fatalistic. It’s realistic.
The point is that these things will happen, not that they must happen. They are not the direct will of God, but stuff happens. No one rides free.
The author of Ecclesiastes concludes this passage by saying that, knowing that this is all true, and because we have a sense of time and perspective, we need to enjoy the good things of this world while we can.
Revelation 21:1-6a
Sometimes it seems as if we’ve seen it all before. Some philosophies believe that time is a great cycle, repeating itself endlessly. But the author of Revelation knows that time is not an endless circle, even though we feel we’re going round and round and experiencing the same things over and over. There is a goal and an aim to history, and it is good.
The Revelation of John begins in the “real world,” with the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Some are more faithful, some are less so, but all are shown that despite appearances, all is well with the martyrs in heaven, and that the lamb who was slaughtered has the power to direct history. Everything has been pointing to this moment when the New Heaven and the New Earth are revealed and God’s good will is fulfilled with the ending of tears, as all things fall into place as they were meant to at the beginning of creation. The description of reality shared by the Teacher of Ecclesiastes is 100 percent true. So is this!
Matthew 25:31-46
Happy New Year! It is something of a historical accident that our society observes January 1 as the first day of the year. It is certainly of no significance, because that day is not an important landmark in the earth’s journey around the sun. In the English-speaking world, March 25 was the first day of the year until relatively recently. It was New Year’s Day in Shakespeare’s time, for instance. Why March 25? It was the first day of spring, more or less, in an age when calendar keeping was a little messy and not always totally accurate.
Cultures who follow a lunar calendar, based on the phases of the moon, may observe a different day. The Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20. The Jewish New Year falls 163 days after Passover, sometime between September 5 and October 5 on the solar calendar generally in use.
However we count time, the important thing is what we do with the time we spend in the real world. The glorious end of history as described in Revelation is true -- but in this passage we find ourselves at the bottleneck before the entrance to eternity. The Lord of History, who is revealed as Jesus, judges the nations -- and that judgment is not based on a simple declaration of faith, but upon whether the fruits of that faithfulness prove that our words are genuine. What we do for the least of these is what matters.
Which brings us to the ultimate resolution on this day when we make resolutions for the coming year. More important than anything we might resolve to do for self-improvement is the resolution to do for others, for the least of these. We are worthy. We are worthwhile. It’s okay to try to improve. It’s okay to resolve to do what we enjoy. But the greatest satisfaction will be found in being the presence of Jesus, and to know his countenance is smiling on us! Resolve on this!
The second scripture from the Revelation to John shows us that despite the cyclical ups and downs we experience history is heading towards glory, and the ending of God’s history is good -- very good. The best of what we experience will be retained, and glories we can’t imagine will ensue. All will be well!
The third scripture ties the two together. There will be a glorious end to history, but our response to the ups and downs of our lives will be the thing we’ll be judged on -- ministry and care for those on the margins of society will demonstrate if we have been saved by our faith, and are faithful!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
This kind of stuff happens. The list of events in this passage of Ecclesiastes is not exhaustive, but the events listed -- life, death, war, peace, mourning, dancing, weeping, laughing -- are meant to suggest that in life it’s likely we’ll experience all of these things, not as a result of God’s direct will but as a matter of course.
This is a description of time. There is no prescription here. Nor is there a hint that everything is the direct result of God’s will. Accidents occur; so will wars and natural disasters. Life and death. Laughter and weeping. This is not fatalistic. It’s realistic.
The point is that these things will happen, not that they must happen. They are not the direct will of God, but stuff happens. No one rides free.
The author of Ecclesiastes concludes this passage by saying that, knowing that this is all true, and because we have a sense of time and perspective, we need to enjoy the good things of this world while we can.
Revelation 21:1-6a
Sometimes it seems as if we’ve seen it all before. Some philosophies believe that time is a great cycle, repeating itself endlessly. But the author of Revelation knows that time is not an endless circle, even though we feel we’re going round and round and experiencing the same things over and over. There is a goal and an aim to history, and it is good.
The Revelation of John begins in the “real world,” with the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Some are more faithful, some are less so, but all are shown that despite appearances, all is well with the martyrs in heaven, and that the lamb who was slaughtered has the power to direct history. Everything has been pointing to this moment when the New Heaven and the New Earth are revealed and God’s good will is fulfilled with the ending of tears, as all things fall into place as they were meant to at the beginning of creation. The description of reality shared by the Teacher of Ecclesiastes is 100 percent true. So is this!
Matthew 25:31-46
Happy New Year! It is something of a historical accident that our society observes January 1 as the first day of the year. It is certainly of no significance, because that day is not an important landmark in the earth’s journey around the sun. In the English-speaking world, March 25 was the first day of the year until relatively recently. It was New Year’s Day in Shakespeare’s time, for instance. Why March 25? It was the first day of spring, more or less, in an age when calendar keeping was a little messy and not always totally accurate.
Cultures who follow a lunar calendar, based on the phases of the moon, may observe a different day. The Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20. The Jewish New Year falls 163 days after Passover, sometime between September 5 and October 5 on the solar calendar generally in use.
However we count time, the important thing is what we do with the time we spend in the real world. The glorious end of history as described in Revelation is true -- but in this passage we find ourselves at the bottleneck before the entrance to eternity. The Lord of History, who is revealed as Jesus, judges the nations -- and that judgment is not based on a simple declaration of faith, but upon whether the fruits of that faithfulness prove that our words are genuine. What we do for the least of these is what matters.
Which brings us to the ultimate resolution on this day when we make resolutions for the coming year. More important than anything we might resolve to do for self-improvement is the resolution to do for others, for the least of these. We are worthy. We are worthwhile. It’s okay to try to improve. It’s okay to resolve to do what we enjoy. But the greatest satisfaction will be found in being the presence of Jesus, and to know his countenance is smiling on us! Resolve on this!
