Dear Family at Christ Community, As we've been hearing from the Gatherer in Ecclesiastes, how we live matters to our ability to take joy in and be grateful for the good gifts that God gives to us. He has consistently emphasized that living wisely, though it doesn't grant status or control, proves better than folly, though it may gain status or perceived control. Paul m...

Gracious and Merciful Father, We come before you to confess our sin as Your redeemed and beloved children. May Your Spirit alone convict us of our sin and remind us of our pardon in Christ through repentance. We confess that we too often prefer to be told what to think instead of learning how to think wisely in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ecclesiastes 10:1-7)....

Gracious and Merciful Father, We come before you to confess our sin as Your redeemed and beloved children. May Your Spirit alone convict us of our sin and remind us of our pardon in Christ through repentance. We confess that we too often pursue folly over wisdom because of life's unpredictability (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18). We confess these things before You because You are f...

Dear Family at Christ Community, On Sunday, we will hear from Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 the Gatherer's sixth and most adamant call for us to enjoy God's good gifts as the fruits of our faithful labors. He goes further by encouraging us to reflect this joy in our countenance and to share it with others. As part of our worship, we will have the opportunity to eat to, drink to,...

Gracious and Merciful Father, We come before you to confess our sin as Your redeemed and beloved children. May Your Spirit alone convict us of our sin and remind us of our pardon in Christ through repentance. We confess that we too often fail to reflect and share our joy in Your good gifts as fruit from our faithful labors (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10). We confess these things be...

Gracious and Merciful Father, We come before You to confess our sin as Your redeemed and beloved children. May Your Spirit alone convict us of our sin and remind us of our pardon in Christ through repentance. We confess that we often believe that our lives are within our own control and power, rather than humbly resting in Your sovereign and particular care for us in life...

Dear Family at Christ Community, In Ecclesiastes 8:14-17, the Gatherer comes to a joyful conclusion on how to wisely deal with life's unsolvable paradoxes. He repeats yet again in verse 14 the paradoxical reality of the righteous suffering according to the deeds of the wicked, and the wicked prospering from deeds of the righteous. Please consider how this unsolvable pa...

Gracious and Merciful Father, We come before you to confess our sin as Your redeemed and beloved children. May Your Spirit alone convict us of our sin and remind us of our pardon in Christ through repentance. We confess that we too often fail to joyfully receive what You have clearly given to us choosing instead to be frustrated by what we can't figure out (Ecclesiastes 8...