For All is Vanity and Chasing After the Wind

Psalm 45 • Psalm 47, 48
Eccles. 2:16-22 • Gal. 1:18-2:10 • Matt. 13:53-58

A lot of people have been dying lately. I don't just mean because of the pandemic, but people in my life who (after months or years of health issues) have in this particularly weird moment in time, “chosen” to die. Seems like an odd choice to me, but I'm still living, so what do I know?

And when people die, part of that struggle (besides just missing someone we cared about) is that we are reminded of that fact that a similar fate awaits us all.

“How can the wise die just like fools?”
Eccles. 2:16

And still further underneath that is the fear (or curiosity?) about how we will be remembered when we die. What stories will be told, memories shared on Facebook, or eulogies given about us? Who will come to our funerals? As Matthew reminds us today, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. If Jesus himself can have the people closest to him misremember, ignore, or argue about his life and death, what about the rest of us mere mortals? How will our history be spoken of?

“He chose our heritage for us...”
Psalm 47:4,9

Even if we do everything “right”, once we die, we have no say in how others choose to remember us. An even harder pill to swallow? We don't really have control over how others view us right now either.

“So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun,  because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity...”
Eccles. 2:20-21

Vanity tells us we must achieve greatness to be remembered greatly. Perhaps instead we should toil every day knowing God has a place for us; that he knows our history and loves us unconditionally. In that security, we can try our best to be and act in a way that does justice to that love, here and now.

Written by Emma Mitchell

When not serving the youth and families at St. Paul’s as the Youth Director, Emma enjoys a good craft project, a thrifting adventure, and hanging out with her husband Dave and small menagerie of animals.