Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• [1] Ecclesiastes is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Qoheleth, which means, “one who gathers an assembly/congregation.” Thus the English translation of Qoheleth/Ecclesiastes as “Preacher.” So, the words of Ecclesiastes are words for the church, for our instruction, for our use in worship. Are you familiar with this book of the Bible? What are your impressions of the book? Have you ever wondered why this book is in the Bible? Does it seem depressing or nihilistic to you? It is categorized as “wisdom literature”—can you say what kind of wisdom we get from Ecclesiastes? Does it make sense to you as Christian Scripture?

• [2] “All is vanity.” This translates the Hebrew word hebel, which literally means “vapor.” Ecclesiastes says that everything is insubstantial, elusive, and fleeting, like a wisp of breath on a cold morning. This is the conclusion of his findings that are reported throughout the book, given right up front. What things do you invest your life in, believing that the payoff will be substantial, of lasting good? Where do you find purpose, significance, and meaning? What do you live for? What’s your reaction to Ecclesiastes’ emphatic declaration, that “all is vapor,” everything is meaningless, nothing really matters? Do you still insist that what you live for matters? Why?

• [3] There’s a qualification, a caveat: all is vapor, everything is meaningless, nothing matters… under the sun. If this life, this observable world is all there is, then none of our pursuits or achievements or relationships make any real difference. There is no “gain” to all our “toil” when considering only what is “under the sun.” Can a case be made for anything having any lasting significance if God isn’t part of the equation? Why do people who don’t believe in God continue to live as if there were true and lasting meaning to be found in anything?

• The phrase, “under the sun,” and its equivalents appear more than 30 times in Ecclesiastes. There is a strong implication that the most important questions we have life will only find answers beyond the sun, in the realm of the invisible God and his heaven. The final verses of the book change our perspective on the whole thing. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14). In fact, everything matters, because it matters to God. We are to live in light of the reality of God, who has come from beyond the sun in the person of Jesus, uniting heaven and earth, giving us the only way to find true meaning in this world—through our relationship with him. Think of something in particular that you live for in this world… how does your life change by bringing that thing into your relationship with Jesus? Does he want you to stop pursuing certain things? Does he want you to change how you think about them? Do you need to reorder your priorities or change your expectations, with your relationship to Jesus becoming more important and central?