The Big Read – Ecclesiastes

Powerpoint Pictures: Pictures of different types of teachers – school teacher, music teacher, sports coach, driving instructor, tour guide, art curator

Look at the pictures of these teachers.  What are they teaching about? [Maths, Piano, Tennis, How to drive, London, a painting].

In the Old Testament there is a book where we find a teacher and what they are teaching about is how to live life here on earth, or as it is put, ‘under the sun’.

The book of Ecclesiastes is the words of a Teacher, and we listen to him teach, he tells us about lots of different ways we could live our lives.

We could make our aim in life to work, to have fun, to get lots of money and possessions, or to be famous.

But the Teacher in Ecclesiastes says living for these things is a waste of time because those things are meaningless or pointless.

They don’t satisfy.  They will leave you disappointed.

This was something the Teacher in Ecclesiastes had learned from experience.

So if we shouldn’t live for these things, what should we live for?  Right at the end of the book, the Teacher tells us.

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

We are to choose to fear God.  To live in a way that pleases God, which we do by obeying His commandments.

But we will only do this if we first know how wonderful God is and how much He has done for us in sending Jesus to save us.

So we need to remember our Creator.  Each day when we wake up remember your Creator.  Every Sunday we gather to remember who our Creator is and what He has done to save us.