Tomorrow for Sunday School, we will beginning a study on the book of Ecclesiastes. 
Like so many brothers and sisters who flirt with feeling jaded and frustrated when reading the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes is as comforting to us as the Psalms are to others.
“Everything is meaningless!” Hyperbole alert: I think if you asked some in this generation, they would tell you that they are the most cynical, the most angry, the least hopeful, and in fact are the creators of despair. Please also check out their other creations, sex, drugs, rock’n roll, among others.
If I knew I wouldn’t be burned at the stake by fundamentalists, I would create an abridged Bible (and if I knew I wouldn’t be burned at the step of the church organ with propane and left-over bulletins I would). It’s genesis would be Ecclesiastes. It would be followed by John, Romans, some epistles, and flashback to Genesis, etc. That sounds like more of a seeker’s Bible to me.
We’ll be using IBS’s “The Search”. Which is a Ecclesiastes in pamphlet form void of the text references in the TNIV language. (Very inexpensive too. Check out the link).
Among my hopes, I want students to know that they are not the first to feel despair and have to reconcile that with their love for God. I want them to enjoy the struggle, embrace the tension, appreciate the paradox, etc. It’s ok to talk like that. We didn’t start the fire you know.
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