The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after.Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.
Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.
Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
James 5:1-9
Traditionally, the 4 weeks of advent were focused on “the 4 last things,” Death, Judgement, Hell, and Heaven. On first brush, this sounds rather intense, but the purpose of focusing on these realities is not to terrify or ‘put the fear of God’ into someone, but instead to point the way to lasting happiness, enduring joy, and a sure hope. These realities—Death, Judgement, Hell, Heaven—are called “The last things” because they come “at the end; of a life—death; at the end of the ages—judgement; at the end of a certain trajectory, a way of loving, a whole way of life—heaven or hell. Reflection on these realities should lead us to reflect on ends.
The reality of death reveals the end of all things. The fleetingness, transience, short lasting reality of all of this life. You and I, and our loved ones, will live only short lives. “Here today, gone tomorrow” is the reality of human life. The things we love in this life—possessions (things), work, family, popularity—they do not last forever. They cannot bear all our love and hope because they are always shifting with changing fortune.
Reflection on the other realities—Judgement, Hell, Heaven—should make us think about ‘ends’ in another sense. The word ‘end’ has an older meaning of purpose, goal, direction, or loves. To ask, “What is the end of your life?” is to ask: What do you love? What do you live for? What do you serve? Where is your life going or pointing to? The realities of Hell and Heaven are best thought of es ends in this sense:
A life devoted to love of self and of things of this world is pointed to Hell.
A life devoted to God and in service of others is pointed to Heaven.
Heaven and Hell are, in the end, the culmination of what we love and desire: Heaven is simply life with God, Hell, separation from him. Hell then, is the end of a life that chooses the cramped and tiny satisfaction of the self as the object of love and devotion. The refrain of such a life is that it is “better to reign in Hell then to serve in Heaven.” This is a recipe for ultimate misery.
Heaven on the other hand is the end of a life that chooses to put the love of God in Christ at the centre of its existence. It is ultimately only here that lasting happiness is to be found. Further, it is only the hope of heaven that genuinely allows us to love. If our ultimate love is pinned to things that do not endure, we are expecting them to bear more than earthly things can hold—and they will fail:
If family or a relationship are to be your ultimate source of rest and security—your relationships will suffer.
If your work is to be your ultimate source of meaning and purpose—your relationship with work will be distorted and out of balance.
If you hope to find significance in reputation and popularity with the right crowd—you will drift from the truth and from your true self.
If you hope to increase the length of your life by following all the health guidelines and fads— your relationship with food and with others will suffer.
If your hope of satisfaction lies in acquiring this possession and then that luxury—your life will grow shallow and selfish.
But if your hope lies in eternity “Secure in supreme and eternal peace” you can love these good things—family, relationships, work, reputation, health, and possessions—as they ought to be loved, in their proper place and proportion.
I would like to close with an image. The image below is a medieval depiction of the wheel of fortune. Around the edges we see a man with shifting fortune: on the top he is king, and then he falls off on the right side. He lies at the bottom, until he rises again. The point is that fortune, like a wheel, rises and falls, it shifts and changes, it never stands still. But, at the centre of the image is Christ, the one secure and stable point of the wheel. There are two points to be made:
Although the wheel of fortune turns, rises and falls, ultimately Christ is Lord over it, ensuring that “all things work together for good to those who love God.” (Rom. 8:28)
Finally, this image calls us to move our love and concern from the outer edge of the wheel to the centre where we can find hope and rest. In Christ, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” (Heb. 6:19)
Coffee with Kierkegaard 