Ecc Study Seven

Study Number Seven

Reread Ecclesiastes 3. Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7.

“go near to listen”

Kate adjusted Lauren’s French braid as the girl tried to pull away. “Mom, aren’t you done yet?” she said.
Well, Jack and Lauren were ready, Sunday clothes on, though Lauren still needed to put on her shoes. Kate wasn’t sure where the girl’s dress shoes were actually. Lauren liked to wear them for playing dress up and was often putting them on and taking them off again. Consequently, they traveled all over the house.
“Come here, Jason,” Kate said.
Jason turned a somersault on the kitchen floor.
“Now,” said Kate.
Jason ran towards his mom with a huge grin on his face.
Kate’s heart warmed, in spite of herself. She thrust the polo shirt over his head and told him to put his arms in the arm holes. Then she laid his pants on the floor for him to put on himself. He put both legs in the same hole and tried to pull his pants up. “Help me, Mommy!” he said.
Kate pulled his pants back off and talked him through putting them on properly.
Then she called out the window to Jack, who was playing with cars and trucks in the sandbox. “Jack, don’t mess up your church clothes, please. Come back inside.”

Finally Kate arrived at the church with the twins and Jason. The twins climbed out and headed toward the building while she helped Jason out of his car seat. “Go right to your Sunday school class,” she said to them as they went through the double doors.
“Okay, Mom,” said Jack.

Kate dropped Jason off at his class-- the other two-year-olds greeted him cheerfully--and then went to the ladies’ Sunday school classroom. She pulled her Bible and the lesson book out of her tote and turned to the page she’d bookmarked for today’s lesson. She wished she’d had more time to go over it.
“Hi, Lucy,” she said to the middle-aged woman sitting closest to her. “How are you?”
“All right,” Lucy said.
“You really don’t need me to do this,” Kate said impulsively. “You should be teaching the class.”
Lucy had taught the last unit for their Sunday school class. Kate thought she wished she were still the one teaching. Maybe Kate could somehow hand it back over to her. But Lucy herself had thought Kate as the pastor’s wife should be doing some of the teaching of their class, if she was going to attend it. Kate had been working with one of the kids’ Sunday school classes when Lucy first started teaching the ladies’ class.
Usually there were two adult classes and several kids’ classes, as well as the teens. Most of the time the adult classes were mixed groups, but this time some of the ladies had wanted to have their own. It wasn’t until Renee Carter took her Sunday school class that Kate had a chance to attend the ladies’ class. She enjoyed it but felt a little awkward, as it seemed obvious to her that having the pastor’s wife present stilted the conversation. Then Lucy suggested she lead the next unit, in fact, pressured her to do it, though Kate was convinced Lucy just felt like Kate should be the one leading, though she’d rather continue doing it herself.
“No, you do much better than I did,” Lucy said.
“I don’t think so,” said Kate, but Lucy didn’t respond and Kate felt she’d said enough.

After Sunday school and church, Kate waited for the last people to leave and for Nick to turn out the lights and lock the building; then she hustled her brood into the car. She had pot roast with potatoes and carrots waiting for them at home.
After they ate and she settled Jason down for his nap, she laid down for a little while herself. The twins read and played quietly in their rooms; well, Lauren did, at least. Jack and Jason shared a room, so the older boy lounged in the family room during Jason’s nap time, so that he wouldn’t disturb him.
Then Kate got everybody back into the van and back to the church. She played the piano for adult choir practice. The kids played outside, kicking around a soccer ball Jack had brought. During the evening service, Kate played the piano for kids’ choir, which met at the same time. At least, she wasn’t directing it too. Renee had taken on that job.
Sometimes Kate felt like she was just so busy doing everything that she and it seemed to her others as well thought should be doing as a pastor’s wife that she was never really worshipping God or truly getting to know him better. So much ritual. Always trying to do the right thing, say the right thing. But still constantly falling short. Yet, if she weren’t so busy doing all these things, she’d feel she wasn’t doing what God wanted her to either and she’d feel she wasn’t contributing to her church and being a part of it the way she wanted to and felt she should. Even more importantly, it sometimes seemed to her, she’d be a disappointment to those in the church who thought she should be teaching and playing the piano and heading up committees, having people over frequently, and keeping her kids and home in order.
Sometimes she thought she was trying to make up for—the past—or trying to pretend she was—more—than she really was. Maybe she was trying to be the pastor’s wife her mother had been or even a better pastor’s wife than her mother had been. Mostly she was too busy to think too much, which, after all, was a blessing of sorts.

“Do you have a fellowship at your house tonight?” asked Renee after they dismissed the choir.
“For the teens,” Kate said.
“Doesn’t that make for a late night for you all?” Renee said. She stacked the kids’ choir books on a shelf by the piano.
“It’s not too bad. They stay in the basement and I can put our kids to bed upstairs,” Kate said. She headed for the bathroom and quickly came back with a damp paper towel.
“I guess that works,” Renee said, sounding a little doubtful. “I have enough trouble trying to get Dylan to go to sleep when it’s just us. He’d really think he was missing out on the action if the Meyer boys were in the house. They’re his heroes. But then Jason has his big brother and sister’s shining example to follow. They probably don’t fight bedtime.”
“Not usually,” Kate said, “they go to bed when I tell them too, but that doesn’t man they’re always happy about it.”
“Well, speaking of the troublemaker, I guess I’d better go fetch him from the nursery. I suppose next year he and Jason will be in kids’ choir.” Renee stopped at the door and looked back at Kate, who was on her hands and knees scratching at some dried food—what had at one time been a cookie?--on the floor.
Kate looked up and smiled. “See you all later,” she said.


Clare shifted uncomfortably in her chair while Keegan spoke. She hated the way he kept repeating himself and saying “Isn’t that amazing?” after every third of his remarks. He definitely wasn’t a great speaker. But what he had to say made her uncomfortable too, even though he was primarily addressing his youth group. He was reading from the book of Ecclesiastes. She’d always, if not liked the book, identified with its discussion of the meaninglessness of life. She’d completely forgotten that it also said, “Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth,” shortly before the verse at the beginning of Ecclesiastes 12, which she did remember. Ironically, remember was the first word: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.”
Keegan was trying to tell the teens, as far as she could figure out, that they needed to be joyful now and enjoy their youth, but also remember God, so that they might be joyful all their lives. In other words, Clare thought, God was the source of joy, or maybe even, lacking joy might indicate a lack of God. Clare certainly had to admit to herself that she lacked joy. She often felt depressed, frustrated, confused, and sad. But Keegan’s presence in her life was bringing her joy and he was pointing her toward God. Of course ultimately God was the one bringing her joy and pointing her toward himself. God had done a lot for her lately. Helped her to publish a book that was turning out to be well-received and to get paid for it, helped her to find a friend. Maybe she should try to get more involved at the church. Keegan liked having her at youth group activities, but maybe there was something else she could do too. Maybe then she’d feel happier yet. Maybe then that last lingering sadness and guilt would disappear.

“Well? Are you ready to go?” Keegan asked Clare after the last of the teens had gone home.
She nodded.
They walked out to Keegan’s dark green Honda Accord. He opened the door for Clare and she climbed in. Neither spoke as Keegan drove Clare back to her apartment. When he stopped in her driveway to let her out, she said suddenly, “I wish I were more like you. More sure that I’m accomplishing something worthwhile and—happy in it.”
“I get discouraged too,” Keegan said. “It’s really hard when one of the teens goes out and does something stupid. Hard to know what to do sometimes. Even harder to see God in it.”
“I definitely don’t have a clue what God is up to sometimes. And focusing on God sure doesn’t always make me happy,” Clare said.
“Happy, huh,” Keegan laughed. “Happiness is great, but short-lived. You make me happy sometimes, Clare, but not always, though that doesn’t change the fact that I care about you. Taking the ski jump makes me happy until I come down. Especially if I come down wrong. God—gives me joy.”

Questions to Answer

1. In what way is there nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work?

2. In what way is man like an animal and in what way is he not like one?

3. What is meant by 5:7?

4. What are Kate and Clare struggling with in their Christian lives?

5. Has God spoken to you when you were speaking rather than listening? What does it mean to really listen? How does an emphasis on listening change the way we behave in the house of God?

6. When have you promised God something and not carried through on it?