Monthly Newsletter
May 2024
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
This very famous verse follows another famous passage in Scripture. Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 describe that there is a time for everything to occur in this world. These words were made famous when Pete Seeger wrote a song in 1959 that was later recorded as a hit by the band “The Byrds” in 1965. In doing a little digging myself I discovered that Pete Seeger got 55% of royalties from a song in which he only wrote six words. The rest of the words God wrote.
The passage in verses 1-10 is a very poetic passage. It reads like a beautiful poem. But in that poetry we often forget the intent of Solomon when he wrote that. Verses 1-10 were meant to be a poem of despair. Solomon in this book was showing the hopelessness of everything in life without God. He was saying that in this life, nothing lasts, seasons change and there is no caring or compassion to those changes. A time to be born and die, a time for healing and killing, a time to hug and break up, a time to have peace and a time for war! All those seasons of life teach us that we can never find true happiness in this life because nothing remains the same.
Do you ever feel that way? Like life is just going through seasons with you and there is no rhyme or reason? That can be a very discouraging place to be. When good things happen, we may always be waiting for the next bad thing to offset those joyous events. And when the bad things happen we realize that they have happened before and they will happen again. What a pointless way to live! That’s what Solomon is communicating. He’s reminding us all that life without God is only short little intervals of relief in continuous cycles of misery. So as a result of that people look for joy and happiness back in chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes. Things like bucket lists, vacations, jobs, money, relaxation, friends and really anything that will take our minds away from the endless and uncontrollable cycles of life.
But God………..
This is where verse 11 comes in. Up to this point Solomon has viewed life as under the sun but now he looks to the Maker of the Sun and gains a new perspective. He sees that God has a beauty in every season of life, whether it is good or bad. He realizes that these cycles are not mindless and meaningless but that they are part of the roll of life onto eternity. He sees that we have the ability to see eternally past the cycles of time. We can view life through God’s eyes so that we can gain the right perspective and be a part of his mysterious, Master plan with His universe.
God is the one who gives meaning and beauty to everything in life! Every season has eternal significance and every day has value and beauty. What would life be like if we only viewed things from the perspective of “under the sun.”? To answer that question just look at the lost in our world. Just look at the lost at your place of work or in your family. Life under the sun has no purpose but its just a series of events that people tend to fill with whatever temporary pleasures they can. Then they wait till the next high point of life to fill that with something. But having “eternity in our hearts” means that nothing under the sun can satisfy that emptiness. Only the One who made the human heart can truly satisfy it. And when God fills your life, everything takes on a new dimension of beauty and everything matters.
The season you are in matters and has a beauty to it. Not always because of the season itself but because of the One who makes all things matter. Because of God, everything we do can have eternal significance and weight. Things like eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31) our work (Colossians 3:23) and every step we take walking with the Lord (Ephesiasn 2:10). Nothing is too small to matter. And not one of us is too small to matter.
On that note, WBC has been in a very pleasant season with our ministry assistant, Ashley Reynolds. She has brought so much life, growth and talent to the church office. We have all been blessed by her enthusiasm, dedication, innovation and her ability to go above and beyond so our ministries can function and be fruitful. We are very appreciative of her years of service and work to our church. She is entering another season of her life and that season is taking her a different direction. We thank God for her and pray for her next chapter to be one of fruitfulness and blessing to the Lord.
While we are entering a new season in this area please give grace. People are volunteering and the Personnel committee is working hard to find our next Ministry Assistant in God’s timing. We encourage you to pray and if you would like to help in the interim then please contact us.
My Prayer for us at WBC is that whatever season we find ourselves in, we will be able to see it through God’s eyes and with His eternal goals in mind.
Doing Life with You,
Pastor Brandon
Ecclesiastes 3:11
This very famous verse follows another famous passage in Scripture. Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 describe that there is a time for everything to occur in this world. These words were made famous when Pete Seeger wrote a song in 1959 that was later recorded as a hit by the band “The Byrds” in 1965. In doing a little digging myself I discovered that Pete Seeger got 55% of royalties from a song in which he only wrote six words. The rest of the words God wrote.
The passage in verses 1-10 is a very poetic passage. It reads like a beautiful poem. But in that poetry we often forget the intent of Solomon when he wrote that. Verses 1-10 were meant to be a poem of despair. Solomon in this book was showing the hopelessness of everything in life without God. He was saying that in this life, nothing lasts, seasons change and there is no caring or compassion to those changes. A time to be born and die, a time for healing and killing, a time to hug and break up, a time to have peace and a time for war! All those seasons of life teach us that we can never find true happiness in this life because nothing remains the same.
Do you ever feel that way? Like life is just going through seasons with you and there is no rhyme or reason? That can be a very discouraging place to be. When good things happen, we may always be waiting for the next bad thing to offset those joyous events. And when the bad things happen we realize that they have happened before and they will happen again. What a pointless way to live! That’s what Solomon is communicating. He’s reminding us all that life without God is only short little intervals of relief in continuous cycles of misery. So as a result of that people look for joy and happiness back in chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes. Things like bucket lists, vacations, jobs, money, relaxation, friends and really anything that will take our minds away from the endless and uncontrollable cycles of life.
But God………..
This is where verse 11 comes in. Up to this point Solomon has viewed life as under the sun but now he looks to the Maker of the Sun and gains a new perspective. He sees that God has a beauty in every season of life, whether it is good or bad. He realizes that these cycles are not mindless and meaningless but that they are part of the roll of life onto eternity. He sees that we have the ability to see eternally past the cycles of time. We can view life through God’s eyes so that we can gain the right perspective and be a part of his mysterious, Master plan with His universe.
God is the one who gives meaning and beauty to everything in life! Every season has eternal significance and every day has value and beauty. What would life be like if we only viewed things from the perspective of “under the sun.”? To answer that question just look at the lost in our world. Just look at the lost at your place of work or in your family. Life under the sun has no purpose but its just a series of events that people tend to fill with whatever temporary pleasures they can. Then they wait till the next high point of life to fill that with something. But having “eternity in our hearts” means that nothing under the sun can satisfy that emptiness. Only the One who made the human heart can truly satisfy it. And when God fills your life, everything takes on a new dimension of beauty and everything matters.
The season you are in matters and has a beauty to it. Not always because of the season itself but because of the One who makes all things matter. Because of God, everything we do can have eternal significance and weight. Things like eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31) our work (Colossians 3:23) and every step we take walking with the Lord (Ephesiasn 2:10). Nothing is too small to matter. And not one of us is too small to matter.
On that note, WBC has been in a very pleasant season with our ministry assistant, Ashley Reynolds. She has brought so much life, growth and talent to the church office. We have all been blessed by her enthusiasm, dedication, innovation and her ability to go above and beyond so our ministries can function and be fruitful. We are very appreciative of her years of service and work to our church. She is entering another season of her life and that season is taking her a different direction. We thank God for her and pray for her next chapter to be one of fruitfulness and blessing to the Lord.
While we are entering a new season in this area please give grace. People are volunteering and the Personnel committee is working hard to find our next Ministry Assistant in God’s timing. We encourage you to pray and if you would like to help in the interim then please contact us.
My Prayer for us at WBC is that whatever season we find ourselves in, we will be able to see it through God’s eyes and with His eternal goals in mind.
Doing Life with You,
Pastor Brandon
