“Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 31, 2016

“Eat, Drink, and Be Merry” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-26; Luke 12:13-21; Colossians 3:1-11)

We all want to live the good life, don’t we? I mean, we want to have the best life now that we can have. Financial security, good health, no worries about our future, a nice place to live, happy family life, good friends and neighbors–who doesn’t want all that? Your best life now. Ah, wouldn’t that be sweet! A steak on the grill, a margarita in your hand, relaxing on the patio in the shade. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry!

And is there anything wrong with that? I mean, after all, our reading from Ecclesiastes today says as much, that this is about as good as it gets. The writer says: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” Well, there you have it: “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry,” in so many words.

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Published in: on July 30, 2016 at 10:23 pm  Leave a Comment  
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“Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise” (Hebrews 4:1-16; Mark 10:23-31; Ecclesiastes 5:10-20)

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
October 21, 2012

“Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise” (Hebrews 4:1-16; Mark 10:23-31; Ecclesiastes 5:10-20)

You’ve all heard the old saying:

Early to bed
And early to rise
Makes a man healthy,
Wealthy, and wise.

And there’s some truth to that–although, right now, it’s a little hard to get “early to bed” when you’ve got three-and-a-half-hour playoff games to watch! Even so, the point remains: A good, self-disciplined routine of rest and work, each in its own proper place, can lead to an increased opportunity for the good life.

But today I want to speak to you about something more than just “the good life,” as commonly defined–in other words, as simply a happy, successful life in this world. No, I want to speak to you about something more important and more long-lasting than that–although it will have great meaning also for our life in this world and how we live it. “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise”: yes, but in a far greater way than the saying suggests. It’s the health and the wealth and the wisdom that God provides us with, which is good for both this life and the next. And so I must amend our little poem to fit the theme, as follows:

Surely what God
Most surely supplies
Makes a man healthy,
Wealthy, and wise.

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Published in: on October 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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