The Fog of Life and the Plan of God

If you’ve ever driven in Nebraska during the winter, you probably know what it’s like to all of sudden lose control of your car (the same may be true of New England, but since my first and only winter here was a yawn, I can’t speak from experience). You turn the wheel, you hit the breaks—no response, no control. It’s frightening. But perhaps even scarier than losing control, is finding out that you never had it to begin with. That’s what Solomon copes with in Ecclesiastes 3 as he explores the effect that time, eternity, and the hidden plan of God have on life under the sun.

I usually post a summary of my sermons in advance of preaching, in order to help people prepare (and hopefully think about whom they might want to bring with them to hear it). Life’s busyness didn’t afford me the opportunity this time around. But you can listen to and download the notes from two sermons on this text. The first one (Eccl. 3:1-15) talks about the beautiful mystery of God’s sovereignty, and how to respond when we realize there’s a pattern at play in this world, but that we’re not the ones crafting it or calling the shots. The second one (Eccl. 3:16-22) takes an honest look at injustice in the world and why all human effort toward social justice will ultimately disappoint, and shares some reflections on what to do with that reality.

Enjoy.