Review: How have you been doing at "remembering the signs" as Ralph talked about last week?  ("The signs" simply refers to remembering what's true about who God is, about who we are as His children, and about trusting that He has everything under control, no matter what things look like here "under the sun"!)

Read again Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 and thank God for the blessing of His word and His truth.

The sixth century monk, St. Benedict, encouraged his fellow monks to "day by day remind yourself that you are going to die." (This is why Phil keeps a skull on his office bookshelf!) The Preacher puts this reality before his readers in this passage. In what way(s) does this reminder benefit us, the living? (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

Phil began with an encouragement from Ephesians 5:14, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."  He said that we've all had a "near-death" experience: "But God … even when we were dead in our sins, God made us alive together with Christ" (Eph. 2:5).  Share an encounter of your own when you were "made alive again" in Christ.

The Preacher in Ecclesiastes paints a pretty bleak picture of this life "under the sun," that is, life without an awareness of the presence and power of God.  But Paul, in 2 Corinthians, says that Jesus' rising from the dead changes everything!  READ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and discuss how Jesus' resurrection provides meaning to our otherwise chaotic life "under the sun."

How does the truth and hope from 2 Corinthians shape our perspective of the Preacher's call in vv 7-9: to go, and enjoy, and work with all your might?  What area(s) of your everyday life might God be calling you to greater hope and enjoyment? To become more awake? 

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that the chief end of man is "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Phil recommended practicing gratitude as a way to grow in this.  How does this practice help us to that chief end? 

Take a moment to write down three things (pretty wide open!) from either today or yesterday that you're grateful to God for. If you're in a group, take time to share, and rejoice in the Lord together.