LIFE IS HARD . . . AND THEN YOU DIE (4 OF 15)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:16, Ecclesiastes4:6
This content is part of a series.
Life Is Hard . . . And Then You Die (4 of 15)
Series: ''The Good Life''
Keith Krell
Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:6
On June 17, 1966, two men strode into the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, NJ and shot three people to death. Rubin ''Hurricane'' Carter, a celebrated boxer, and an acquaintance were falsely accused and wrongly convicted of the murders in a highly publicized and racially charged trial. Carter maintained his claim of innocence and became his own jailhouse lawyer. After serving nineteen years, Carter was released, having proven his innocence. Nevertheless, Carter lost the most productive years of his life, between the ages of twenty-nine and fifty. He was deprived of his career, his wife, and seeing his children grow up.
This real-life account makes me angry. I hate injustice. I hate knowing that innocent men and women will go to prison. I hate knowing that 85% of convicted murderers will be released. I hate knowing that women are being physically and verbally abused. I hate racism. I hate poverty. I hate genocide, terrorism, slavery, and sex trafficking. I hate death. Yet, tragically, our world is full of those things that you and I hate. Therefore, we need to talk about the unpopular topics of death, injustice, hopelessness, and judgment because they stare us in the face every day of our lives.
In Eccl 3:16-4:6 Solomon cries out for justice, yet his cry seems to fall on deaf ears. It seems he's about to conclude that life is hard, and then you die. Now you may be thinking, ''Oh, great! Another encouraging sermon from Pastor Bah Humbug! Maybe I should stop reading before I collapse into a state of depression and pessimism.'' I freely acknowledge that no pastor in his right mind would choose to preach this text. (Fortunately, I've never claimed to be in my right mind.) Yet, in this passage I actually find meaning and motivation to live life. In these thirteen verses, Solomon shares two important observations (cf. 1:3) that will help us cope with the w ...
Series: ''The Good Life''
Keith Krell
Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:6
On June 17, 1966, two men strode into the Lafayette Grill in Paterson, NJ and shot three people to death. Rubin ''Hurricane'' Carter, a celebrated boxer, and an acquaintance were falsely accused and wrongly convicted of the murders in a highly publicized and racially charged trial. Carter maintained his claim of innocence and became his own jailhouse lawyer. After serving nineteen years, Carter was released, having proven his innocence. Nevertheless, Carter lost the most productive years of his life, between the ages of twenty-nine and fifty. He was deprived of his career, his wife, and seeing his children grow up.
This real-life account makes me angry. I hate injustice. I hate knowing that innocent men and women will go to prison. I hate knowing that 85% of convicted murderers will be released. I hate knowing that women are being physically and verbally abused. I hate racism. I hate poverty. I hate genocide, terrorism, slavery, and sex trafficking. I hate death. Yet, tragically, our world is full of those things that you and I hate. Therefore, we need to talk about the unpopular topics of death, injustice, hopelessness, and judgment because they stare us in the face every day of our lives.
In Eccl 3:16-4:6 Solomon cries out for justice, yet his cry seems to fall on deaf ears. It seems he's about to conclude that life is hard, and then you die. Now you may be thinking, ''Oh, great! Another encouraging sermon from Pastor Bah Humbug! Maybe I should stop reading before I collapse into a state of depression and pessimism.'' I freely acknowledge that no pastor in his right mind would choose to preach this text. (Fortunately, I've never claimed to be in my right mind.) Yet, in this passage I actually find meaning and motivation to live life. In these thirteen verses, Solomon shares two important observations (cf. 1:3) that will help us cope with the w ...
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