Dear Family at Christ Community,

       We will celebrate communion this Sunday as part of our worship. In Ecclesiastes 4:7-16, the Gatherer continues to unpack the poisonous results born of envy. He focuses on the crippling loneliness suffered by the relentless workaholic whose attainments offer little to no comfort, protection, or remembrance.  The good gifts that God gives us from our toil are best enjoyed with others. Please consider how Jesus shares the fruit of His labor with us. He lavishly offers us His righteousness so that we can share in the peace, presence, and blessings of God! The Holy Spirit reminds us of and nourishes us in this glorious reality through the broken bread and overflowing cup at the Lord’s Table.

       In preparation for this reminder and nourishment in Christ, please consider what Philip G. Ryken writes in Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes:

“Almost every verse in Ecclesiastes shows how much we need a Savior to make all things new….Remember this whenever you get frustrated, sad, angry or disappointed with everything in life that is getting broken, falling apart, and going wrong. Remember this when you feel overwhelmed and are tempted to wonder why you should even bother—with your work, with a relationship, with your faith. You were made for a new and better world. The very fact that you are weary of this life is pointing you to Jesus as the only One who can satisfy your soul.”

       Even our struggles, anxieties, and sufferings remind us of the grand gift that we have in Christ! They become opportunities to grow in gratitude and joy as we recognize their eventual resolution in Jesus. Though we may cry, “How long, O Lord?!”, we do so knowing that we’ve been heard and that we’ll be comforted in God’s love as we await the return of Christ. May the Holy Spirit help us more deeply understand and live this wisdom out for God’s glory, our joy, and the life of the world!

In Christ,
Cameron