A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Old Testament Reading, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:   For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:                 a time to be born, and a time to die;                 a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;                 a time to kill, and a time to heal;                 a time to break down, and a time to build up;                 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;                 a time to mourn, and a time to dance;                 a time to cast away ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die … [God] has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a, 11). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The words of Ecclesiastes 3 are among the most famous in the Bible, often quoted, reproduced on various wall hangings, and inscribed on plaques. Adding just a few words, folk artist Pete Seeger turned the first eight verses of Ecclesiastes 3 into a hit song best known as it was recorded by “The Byrds.” But as familiar as this passage is, there is confusion about its meaning. Some contend that Solomon here teaches that “it is wisdom to do the right thing at the right time,” suggesting that with the right timing and knowledge a person can make the most of his opportunities and lead a successful life. But as appealing as such an interpretation is in our humanistic age, it simply does not s...

Click here to listen to this sermon. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out wha...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4). Solomon’s words ring true in our ears, especially today. For JoAnn, there was a time to be born and a time to die: August 28, 1931 and February 2, 2017. Indeed, there is a time to be born and a time to die for all of us. But this was not always so. In the beginning, there was only a time to be born and not a time to die; a time to laugh and never to cry; a time to dance and never to mourn. The Lord God looked upon all that He had made and behold it was very good. The world knew nothing of weeping and mourning and death. Man was...