Ecclesiastes 2:22 – 3:15 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
June 12, 2016
There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by. - Ecclesiastes 2: 22 - 3:15
The saying goes, “Once an adult, twice a child.” If you are an adult then I want you to close your close and tap into your inner child. If you are 18 years or younger then I want you to be who you are. Imagine before you is a giant ball pit. You are about to jump into a sea of blue, red, green, and yellow balls. It is a sea of fun and you do not have a worry in the world. And there are no germs in this ball pit!
This was the experience for employees who work in an advertising agency in New York City this past fall. The agency built an onsite ball pit filled with 81,000 balls. The goal was to empower the employees’ well-being and open new channels of creativity. When employees hit their stress limits at work they would take a break to jump into the ball pit and submerge themselves in a sea of silliness.
Adult play is transformative. It taps into our childhoods. It breaks down stress and brings us back to the basics to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Researchers state adult play generates something we all need a little more of - “lightheartedness, empathy, optimism, flexibility, and adaptability.” A sense of playfulness restores us to finding joy in the challenges of life
The Teacher of Ecclesiastes senses the weight of life’s challenges. He is quite a realist as his words point to the difficulties that come with the human rhythm of all our toil. And his words of cynicism point to the hazards of working all of the time. The Teacher begs the question, “What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun” (verse 22). If this is our approach to adulthood, then our days are full of pain, our work is filled with grief, and our minds race at night (verse 23).
This is a reality for many in today’s society. When work is a task master it becomes a means to an end. Its yield is meaningless and void of purpose or pleasure. It is all vanity and chasing after the wind.
This is not how we are intended to go through life. Not only does a constant inner drive of working deplete the enjoyment of our labors but it destroys our well-being and quality of life. Stress is the number one cause of health problems in the work place. While there is a season for everything – even a time to work and a time to rest – we do not truly give ourselves permission to seek balance.
The Teacher urges all those who have ears to listen: there is nothing better for humanity than to find a sense of happiness and enjoyment. This is God’s gift that all should find a way to take pleasure in all our toil (vv. 12-13). Therefore the Teacher’s wisdom notes that a life well lived is marked by one thing: be intentional to enjoy God’s great gift. That gift is a life of both work and play
The National Institute of Play is located in Carmel Valley, California. They have been researching the benefits of adult play since the late 1980’s. The institute notes “Play is a hard wired contagious response to a child’s development. It is a prerequisite for the capacity for intimacy throughout life.” We see the importance of play for children in the home and on playgrounds as we raise kids to be experiential learners and well-rounded adults.
Just enter the classroom of Play 101 with your son, daughter, grandchild, or godchild and let their imagination be your guide to a lesson in life. A child’s mind is fueled by curiosity and wonder. A child’s playful imagination is a lens to see new ways of engaging the world.
Dolls, Legos, Crayons, and Playdough are objects that help a child engage emotions, relationships, experiences, and faith. Life becomes a playground to discover joy and develop skills for problem solving. Children use their whole being to explore and create something new by stretching the limits of the ordinary. Laughter, wiggles, and silliness are must if you want to get an ‘A’ for effort in the classroom of play.
It is unfortunate that once we become adults we often forget how to be child-like with a lighthearted and playful outlook. It is no coincidence that more therapists and life coaches are prescribing play as adults consider new ways to engage challenges in work, significant relationships, and retirement. Play gives us a sense of humor to surrender the seriousness. Play empowers our confidence to step out of our comfort zones. Play harkens back to the building blocks of fostering intimacy in our relationships.
Our deepest place of intimacy is our relationship with God. And play brings us back to experiencing the wonder and awe of God. As we talked last week the very beginning of Scripture gives us an amazing picture of God’s engagement with the world as a way of life for us. God had a rhythm of work and rest and even playfulness in bringing forth new life. God worked and paused to see what was good and marveled at what could be imagined. God’s rhythm moves us to find God’s gift of pleasure in all our toil.
The pause of Sabbath transforms us as we take the time to play in the ordinary spaces of life.
To take in the beauty of a sunrise.
To be amazed as God dots the stars that are far too many to count in the night sky.
To play in the sandbox and feel the cool grains of sand tickle your toes.
To lie in the tall grass because the Shepherd makes us to lie down in green pastures and see God’s goodness in vivid color.
To sit beside a river bed and skip rocks because the Shepherd leads me beside still waters that restore my soul.
To play Gaga Ball and feel the pure delight of childhood again with the beading sweat of healthy competition on your brow.
To pick up a crayon and color your prayers with God’s love and grace.
When we consider Sabbath as a time to play then we are guided by God’s grace to feel fully alive. Play restores us to the joy of God’s salvation. Play generates new self-discoveries and opportunities to be co-creators in the world with God. Never forget that we are created in the image of God and that image bears the mark of playfulness.
As we consider ways for authentic Sabbath keeping, make time to rest and to play
In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Read More About Adult Play:
Vince Gowman, “Remembering to Play” http://www.vincegowmon.com/playing-with-perspective/
“The Benefits of Play for Adults” http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.htm
Rev. Ed Bacon, “8 Ways to be More Playful,” HuffPost Religion, November 14, 2012 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-ed-bacon/8-ways-to-be-more-playful_b_2130666.html
Elisha Goldstein, “The Essential Ingredient You May be Missing for Happiness,” HuffPost Healthy Living, March 30, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elisha-goldstein-phd/benefits-of-play_b_1382871.html
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