Buzz King: Grace & Joy thru Scripture

Supposedly, Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, but in truth it was written 700 years later. I studied Greek philosophy and literature in college at Occidental, long ago. Something stuck with me later: Ecclesiastes was probably written in part as a response to the Greek influence on Hebrew culture at the time Ecclesiastes was written - just after the height of the Epicurean age. We consider the jaded view presented by the author of Ecclesiastes and how in truth, the author is making a very positive point about the frustrations, the "vanity" or "vapor" of the things we grasp in this life "under the sun". We consider why the author writes from the perspective of Solomon, and we look at the place Ecclesiastes holds in the world of philosophy - and what we can learn from this today.

We look at the traditional view of Holy Week, from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the gruesome crucifixion, to the glorious resurrection. We note that low point between the ride into the Holy City and the rise of Jesus from death. But we consider a somewhat different view - that the crucifixion does not break the joy from Palm Sunday to Easter. We look at Jesus' last words on the cross and how they have been traditionally very misinterpreted. We see that things are different than we have viewed them in the past. We also look at an encounter I had as a kid with a family riding donkeys, and how we can see this as a lesson about why Jesus chose to ride a seemingly humble, if not ridiculous, animal into the city of his forefathers.

I once saw John Wayne in a fancy mens store. I was a boy, and was with an older volunteer who was buying clothing for a kid whose family had no assets. We look at her bold behavior. We consider several passages from the Bible that all tell us how we should behave when living out our faith. We see that this volunteer, this older woman, truly followed the instructions of God as she approached John Wayne.

Years ago, when I had an as-yet untreated corneal disease, I had very limited vision. I once accidentally stepped into a coffee cart line in a hospital lobby, and without meaning to, cut off a number of people. I got yelled at loudly - and felt both angry and embarrassed when the woman who yelled at me didn't seem to care that I couldn't see well. We look at a few quotes, from Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes, that have to do with how we treat others, how God looks after us, and our duty to take care of other people - and to see things from their perspective. There was another, very real reason why I had no business being unhappy with this woman.

My wife and I once saw a side-dump trunk tip over and completely bury and crush a car - with a man still inside. It seemed like the perfect example showing that we can die at any time. We look at the Lord's Prayer, its text from the Gospels, what it really meant (as opposed to what we might think it means), and we consider how it relates to us today. We look at the Lord's Prayer as the perfect prayer to offer at any time we are in need - and to offer every single day.

I once spoke with a young woman who had been badly traumatized in life. She understandably had a jaded feeling about the ability of Christianity to change humanity. We look at two similar stories in the Gospels, about the "Second Coming", or the "Parousia" in Greek. We look at this from the perspective of a spiritual, not a physical, second coming - and what this could mean for those of us who still believe that people could transform this world before Jesus comes again.

I once met a man who had lost one foot and had just been told he would lost part of his other foot. He had something to say about how this relates to faith. We look at the age old debate of salvation through faith vs. salvation by acts. We consider a bit of a different perspective to try and see if we can find a way out of the seeming conflict. Is there a way to look at faith that does more than conclude that a person with faith will want to live out that faith? Just what does it mean to have faith? Perhaps that tells us what really matters.