Dave Gudgel - May 7, 2017
In His Hands - Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:10
Many of us have childhood memories of Sunday School or summer camp where we sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” And we learned that God's got you, and me, and babies, and mommies, daddies, brothers, and sisters all in His hands. He’s got everyone and everything in His hands.
If you believe in God, the thought of God holding the world in His hands could be comforting or troubling. It depends on your view of God’s work in the world and in the lives of people who inhabit it.
When the Cold War was escalating in the 1950s, the fear of nuclear war with Russia was threatening, and a newspaper editorial even announced that “God is Dead,” it was a child’s voice in song that calmed people’s fears. God was not dead. And He had the whole world in His hands. He was very much alive and at work in the world. Could it be that the same message today, as found in the book of Ecclesiastes, could do the same for us?
From Series: "The Chase"
This Week's Sermon: "The Final Word"
Why do musicians wait until the end of a concert to play their biggest hit? And why do we save dessert for the end of a meal? It’s because, as the old adage says, you save the best for last.
The same is true in the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon – after having explored almost every form of worldly pleasure imaginable in an effort to find meaning and satisfaction in his life – saved what is arguably his best, most valuable piece of wisdom for the end of the book. And he summed it all up for us in one important, final word.
