Ecclesiastes 1 & 2

***Ecclesiastes 1***

"Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever."

It seems like going green is getting more and more popular these days. Scientist warn about global warning, companies advertise that their product is good for polar bears and our recycle bin is more full every week than our garbage can. But why do we do it?

I have heard people say that we need to save the earth... which I don't think is accurate. The earth has been around a long time. I just googled "How old is the earth" and the internet says that it is over 4 billion years old.*

You and I are not going to destroy something that has survived for 4 billion years. The earth has an amazing ability to adapt to change. We are not saving the earth.

We are making the earth a better place to live. It is better for us if the polar ice caps are bigger, it is better for us if we do not plow through the world's natural resources, and it is better for us if we keep landfills to a minimum. Going green is about us.

But we are not saving ourselves, Jesus already saved us. I would argue that going green is fulfilling Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors. We can't possibly love everybody, but we can care for the earth so that it is a better place for everybody to live.

But I'm keeping my Dodge Ram.

*Sidenote: Some Christians would argue that the earth is 6,000 years old and was created in 6 days... I don't agree with that, there is too much in science to convince me otherwise, but I respect their belief. I have heard every argument Under the sun on both sides, and I choose to believe that God waited 4 billion years for you and for me... it gives a whole new meaning to "love is patient."*

***Ecclesiastes 2***

This blog is meaningless. But then again, everything is meaningless according to the author.

Especially work and the accumulation of wealth. Seems like things 3,000 years weren't much different than they are today. Our society is driven by the accumulation of wealth.

Before I went to seminary I worked for Chrysler with a guy named Ron. Ron was in his 60's and had been with Chrysler for a long time. He could have retired any day, but he just kept working, kept building his wealth. He finally did retire, he moved down south to his retirement house and died 2 months later.

It is a sad story, but not an uncommon one. The quest for wealth is a scary road. It can change people, can lead to ruined marriages and can cause people to make bad decisions. It often leads to a meaningless life.

I'm not saying that working is a bad thing. But doing something with the sole motivation of getting rich is not a good way to live.

Instead we are called to be motivated by God's love... but how far are we willing to take it?

Here is the questions I have been struggling with: Am I willing to pay $5 per gallon for gas if it means that people who have been oppressed are now living as free people in a democracy? (Of course I realize that the price of gas is set by greedy commodity investors and oil executives... but it is still a fair question.)

Am I motivated by wealth or by God's love? The truth is I am motivated by both... we all are. We must live with both.

But know this: we will be fulfilled by one and the other is meaningless.