Parental Recap of Week 3 [24/25]

Passage: Ecclesiastes 3
Topic: Time

Initial Discussion (at church)

The Preacher recognizes that all human life consists of various rhythms and seasons (3:1-8). And though we wish we had control over these things, we must understand that only God controls time. Furthermore, it is good for us to know that God makes “everything beautiful in its time” (11a). Considering this, there are two paths we can choose:

1. The Path of Wisdom: recognizing our creaturely limitations knowing we can’t do all things all the time. The wise respects time’s rhythm; in times for work, we work, times for play, we play, times to give, give, times to receive, mourn, celebrate, be a student, be a parent, be a spouse, etc.
2. The Path of Folly: seeking to control seasons of time. The fool knows the unpredictability of the seasons of life yet strives to control it for their own purposes regardless. “Foolish people seek all the answers to life in each and every season” rather than finding contentment in Christ and all of his blessings.

Continued Discussion (at home)

“The gospel’s now-and-not-yet voice speaks in the unfamiliar accent of Ecclesiastes. It is life in the light of eternity. Today is the time of suffering and anguish, of work and pleasure, of toil and terror; tomorrow is the time of glory and judgment, of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting in a world without end” (Ecclesiastes, Gibson).

Modern technology distracts, or even blinds, us to the fact that we cannot do whatever we want, when we want. The light bulb, the car, and add the internet at our fingers tips; there is a sense that we can do, go, see, know, and be anything.

Suggested questions and discussion points

1. Do you wish you had more time? If so, what would you do with it?
2. Write a list of what you want to prioritize for you and your family and have your spouse (or child) write what you and your family do prioritize. Compare your lists and discuss whether certain times can be removed or added.
3. How do we react to the various seasons of life that God gives to us (seasons of joy/sadness, gain/loss, stress/peace, etc.)? Do we see them as gifts from God? Do we trust that God “makes everything beautiful in its time” (v. 11)?
4. How does living life in light of eternity affect how we live life in the present?