andrewdmck's blog

Over the past few weeks, I've seen a number of family & friends share on facebook photos, even videos, of joyous family times, putting up their Christmas tree. Christmas, as the song goes "it's the most wonderful time of the year". That has all changed in a most horrific way for family, friends, front-line responders and the community in general in Connecticut today with the school shooting tragedy. It has impacted not just that community, but individuals communities across America and around the world. One of the burning questions in all of this is where is God ? Why didn't he act to stop this violence ? Why doesn't he stop all violence?

In the lead up to Christmas some people have an advent Christmas calendar, where each day you open up a little door to reveal a treat, usually a sweet or chocolate. But for some Advent is much more that this, it's a Latin term that simply refers to the concept of 'coming', and is a time to reflect upon and prepare for the coming of Christ. For some faith traditions it is a time period on the church calendar in which you focus on specific scripture readings, for others faith traditions, it is a little less formal, and maybe not even considered a tradition as such, and may be a time where some choose to reflect on the Christmas story in their personal time with God as they read the scriptures in the lead up to Christmas.

The death of Apple founder Steve Jobs from cancer may well go down as the news story of the year, or at least be close to it. His death at the age of 56 has certainly caused many to momentarily reflect upon the fact that “Life is short”. David in a contemplative moment wrote of this fact in Ps 144:4 that “Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow”.

Some will say “It’s sad, but that’s life, his time was up”. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes said “there is a time to be born, and a time to die” (Eccl 3:2). Ecclesiastes is a journal of the teacher’s deep thoughts on the meaning of life.
Ecclesiastes opens up with the words, “Meaningless, Meaningless “ or “Vanity of Vanities” , depending up your preferred translation. Other word’s used include “Futile”, “Pointless”, “No purpose” and “non-sense” and “nothing is worthwhile”; you get the picture.

But is that what all that the teacher was trying to get across in these opening words? A friend of mine, Derek Hanna, a few years back now, when preaching through Ecclesiastes suggested there was greater depth to these words. Derek suggests “The Teacher isn't saying life is meaningless... he's saying it's brief, fleeting, like the wind - here today, gone tomorrow. Life is transient, passing by.”
James (4:14b) also took this view of life:” For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”