ecclesiastes:
catching smoke

1. Review: Last week we discussed the great help and encouragement found in community. In what ways did you experience community this past week? How did it help or encourage you? 

2. Take a moment in prayer, welcoming the Spirit's presence. Then read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, focusing especially on what the Preacher's words have to teach us about how we should approach worship.

3. Ralph quoted this passage from Annie Dillard:  "On the whole, I do not find Christians … sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return." Do you think she has a point, or is she exaggerating people's too-casual approach to worship?

4. Ralph said that we should "Remember who we're dealing with here."  Who ARE we dealing with in worship?  What do we lose if we forget EITHER the thunder-and-lightning, holiness, and majesty of God OR the compassionate, forgiving, and gracious God? 

5. Consider the four points the Preacher makes.  First, "Guard your steps."  Ralph talked about preparing for worship before we actually meet (getting enough sleep, etc.).  How can you better prepare for worship on Sunday mornings? 

6. The second point was, "Draw near to listen."  If we don't listen with the intent of obeying, we run the risk of just going through the motions without listening for God or thinking about what we're doing.  Why is this a problem, and how can we avoid falling into that trap?    

7. The third point was, "Avoid hastiness."  Do you tend to make rash vows or promises to God in the heat of the moment that you find yourself backing away from when you get back into "real life"? How can we avoid hastiness? 

8. The last point was, "Let your words be few."  Silence is a healthy spiritual practice.  How can you practice silence more consistently in your daily life and relationships?

helpful resources for ecclesiastes:

• Bible Project video on Ecclesiastes. 

• Gear Talk podcast on Ecclesiastes. (A Biblical Theology Podcast with Tom Kelby and Jason Derouchie)