Pipeline is BACK!!

Sorry everyone for being late in the return.  I had these huge dreams of amazing, mind blowing, media mesmerizing aspects to add to this blog and then was hit by the simple reality that the amazing, mind blowing and simple study of God’s word is what we need.  All of that other stuff just gets in the way.  

Bible post coming in mere minutes!

Pipeline will be offline until July 30th

Watch for the Pipeline to return full force on July 30th.  Sorry for any inconvenience.  Please continue to dig into the word.

Prayer Vigil

Tonight we are holding a prayer vigil to lift up our mother church and its ministry.  We are praying specifically for the church as it goes through at time of transition and as the staffing is strained.  We are praying for discernment, wisdom and the unifying power of our God to be made known among them.  

Some people are gathering tonight to pray together.  This post is so all can participate by sharing any prayers via comment.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Today’s Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

(See the Intro to Ecclesiastes here)

1 These are the words of the Teacher,^[a] King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

 2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

Background/Insight:

• 5 times in the original language of verse two the Hebrew word hebel is used.  Four of those are linked together to give emphasis to the word.  Hebel is translated as “meaningless” or “vanity”.  
• This meaninglessness is applied to all human endeavors.  
• The larger cycle of things and the bigger picture of human history emphasizes that in the face of eternity it is all meaningless.  

For your thought/discussion:

• Take some time to reflect on the text. What things today seem to be of great prominence?
• Think back, when you were younger what things seemed important to you?  Are they still?
• What do you think Solomon is getting at when he says that, “everything is meaningless”?
• Spend some time in confession and prayer.  Ask God to give you his perspective on this life. 

Feel free to share any additional insights and prayers with everyone by commenting.