There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

We live in the smartest generation in history. Technology advances at lightning speed, AI grows more capable each year, and information is available instantly. Yet for all this smartness, wisdom seems increasingly scarce. We know more facts but understand less meaning. We have more tools but less direction. Ecclesiastes speaks into this moment by reminding us that wisdom is not about information; it is about orientation. The Teacher calls us to remember our Creator as the foundation for living well in a complex world.
 
Ecclesiastes 3 begins with the famous words: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” These verses describe God’s providential order, life’s rhythms that unfold not by accident, but under divine sovereignty. There is a time to be born and a time to die, reminding us that life’s most significant events are held within God’s hands. Seasons shift beyond our control, but they never escape God’s design. Wisdom begins by recognizing that our times belong to Him.
 
The Teacher continues with difficult observations: “a time to kill and a time to heal.” This does not justify violence; it describes life in a fallen world where destruction and restoration coexist. History shows us seasons of war but also seasons of rebuilding and reconciliation. Likewise, “a time to weep and a time to laugh” reminds us that human existence holds joy and sorrow together. Wisdom does not deny either emotion but embraces both, trusting that God is present in every season of the heart.
 
Other pairs reveal the everyday decisions of life: “a time to embrace and a time to refrain,” “a time to search and a time to give up,” “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” These verses teach discernment. Relationships require wisdom to know when to hold on and when to release. Some pursuits must continue, while others must end. Silence can be holy, but so can advocacy. Wisdom is not only knowing what to do but also understanding when to do it.
 
The most challenging pair concludes the poem: “a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” In Hebrew, “hate” means rejecting what is unjust, standing against what harms others. Qohelet is not endorsing hostility; he is acknowledging the reality of moral resistance. War is not God’s ideal, but a tragic result of human brokenness. These verses remind us that wisdom must face the world as it is, even as it longs for the world God promises.
 
After naming these seasons, the Teacher asks, “What do workers gain from their toil?” In a culture obsessed with productivity, this question is important. Our striving exhausts us, but God offers deeper meaning. Ecclesiastes tells us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Beauty emerges from God’s timing, not our control. And then the extraordinary line: “He has set eternity in the human heart.” We long for purpose because we were created for eternity—something no achievement or technology can satisfy.
 
The Teacher concludes that the highest good is simple: to be joyful, to do good, and to receive daily life as God’s gift. But this is not consumerism; it is gratitude. True satisfaction is not found in accumulating more but in recognizing God’s provision in every season. “Everything God does endures forever,” Ecclesiastes says, reminding us that God’s works are eternal, even when our understanding is limited. Wisdom means trusting the God who stands above time and guides every season of our lives.
 
Today’s world offers smartness, speed, efficiency, and power. But Christ offers wisdom, deep, eternal, and transformative. Technology can enhance life, but cannot explain life. It cannot heal the soul, define truth, or replace spirituality. But in Christ, the Creator becomes our Redeemer and restores meaning to every season. So, remember your Creator. Seek His wisdom. Trust His timing. And live before Him with reverence, confidence, and hope. For everything becomes beautiful, not in our time, but in God’s time.

9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd.[a] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.

The Scripture tells us that the Teacher, traditionally understood to be Solomon, devoted his life to seeking knowledge, truth, and understanding. He pondered and arranged many proverbs. He taught others. He searched out the right words.  What is striking is this: Even though Solomon concluded that life “under the sun” is full of vanity, he did not fall into despair. He did not give up. He did not withdraw from life. Instead, he devoted himself to wisdom, to the pursuit of truth, to the teaching of others, and to a life lived with thoughtful intention. This is an important message for us. When life feels empty, confusing, or overwhelming, our calling is not to run away but to seek wisdom, to lean into God, and to listen to His voice. Solomon describes the words of the wise in three beautiful metaphors.
 
1. Wise words are like goads. A goad is a sharp stick used to guide an animal. Wisdom pushes us forward. It challenges our assumptions. It keeps us from getting stuck.
2. Wise words are like nails. They hold us steady. They give stability and structure to our lives. God’s wisdom anchors us when everything else feels uncertain.
3. Wise words come from “One Shepherd.” This is God Himself. Not every book, idea, or philosophy carries eternal value. Solomon says there is “no end to the making of books,” and he warns that much study can exhaust the body. We live in a time of overwhelming information, but not all information is wisdom. Wisdom is what nourishes the soul. Wisdom is what leads us to God. Wisdom is what forms resilience within us.
 
Ecclesiastes teaches us that:

• Life is short.
• Human success fades.
• Wealth cannot satisfy.
• Pleasure does not endure.
• Death comes for all.

 
If we seek meaning in pleasure, achievements, or possessions alone, we will discover what Solomon discovered: vanity of vanities, all is vanity. This is why wisdom is essential. Without divine wisdom, life feels random and empty. With divine wisdom, life becomes full of purpose, even in suffering. After all the searching, all the experimentation, and all the reflection, Solomon arrives at a simple, powerful truth: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
 
To fear God. Means to hold Him in awe, to revere Him, to recognize His holiness and sovereignty. Proverbs tells us this is the beginning of wisdom. When we fear God:

• Our decisions become clearer.
• Our priorities align.
• Our lives gain direction.
• Our character grows stronger.

 
Frankl said people become resilient when they attach their lives to a purpose greater than themselves. The Bible goes deeper: We become resilient when we attach our lives to God Himself.
 
To keep His commandments. Means to live out our love for God through obedience. This is not legalism; it is a relationship. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
 
Obedience is:

• Evidence that we love God
• Evidence that we know God
• Evidence that we walk with God

 
Meaning is not something we discover accidentally; it is something formed in us as we walk faithfully with the Lord.  Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes by reminding us that God will bring every deed—every hidden thing—into judgment. This is not meant to frighten us but to anchor us. It tells us two things:
 

1. Our lives matter.
2. Our choices matter.

Nothing is meaningless when everything is seen under the eyes of a loving, righteous God. Meaning is not found in:
 

• Wealth
• Pleasure
• Success
• Knowledge alone

 
Meaning is found in God. If we begin our search for life’s purpose without God, we will end in despair. But if we begin with God, we discover what Solomon discovered:
 

• Life may be perplexing, but it is not meaningless.
• Life may contain vanity, but it also contains beauty.
• Life may be fragile, but it can be rich with purpose.

 
And we discover what Viktor Frankl later observed: People who live with purpose, God’s purpose, become resilient. They can endure suffering, face uncertainty, and walk through the storms of life with hope. So today, let us receive the final invitation of Ecclesiastes: Fear God. Keep His commandments. Seek wisdom from the One Shepherd. In Him, your life will find meaning. In Him, your soul will find resilience. In Him, you will discover a life worth living. Amen.

Today, as Canadians pause in silence on Remembrance Day, we stand between the winds of memory and the winds of faith. We remember the bravery of those who faced danger, fear, and loss for the sake of others, soldiers, first responders, and citizens who bore burdens we can scarcely imagine. Yet, as followers of Christ, remembrance also brings tension: between the sword that defends and the peace that redeems, between Rambo and Gandhi, between violence and indifference.

Scripture calls us not merely to remember, but to discern. Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 reminds us: “Whatever exists has already been named… no one can contend with one who is stronger.” “For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow?” This passage is not despair; it is revelation. It tells us that life is fleeting (hebel, “a breath”), that humanity (adam) is limited, and that we cannot contend (yakol ladin) with the One mightier than we. Qohelet teaches humility before divine mystery, a lesson our world still needs.

Bravery is the capacity to face danger and act despite fear. It is moral, psychological, and physical courage. True bravery is not the absence of fear but the triumph of conviction over it. In our world, bravery wears many uniforms: soldiers, firefighters, police officers, but it also wears ordinary faces: parents who choose forgiveness over resentment, citizens who resist hatred, believers who stand for peace when violence seems easier. Bravery is not merely confronting threats; it is confronting ourselves. It asks: Whom do I serve? the God of peace, or the idols of pride and vengeance?

The Bible presents two contrasting images:

• In Matthew 26:51-52, Peter raises his sword, striking the servant of the high priest, but Jesus rebukes him: “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”
• In Matthew 5:38-44, Jesus commands: “Love your enemies… pray for those who persecute you.”

One act reflects instinct: the other, obedience. One draws power from fear, the other from faith. The world teaches us to survive by domination; the Gospel teaches us to live by love. Bravery, in Christ, is not destruction but redemption.

Through history, Christianity has wrestled with this dual call. On one side, the “holy war” tradition, the Crusades, when faith was wielded as a weapon, when church and sword marched together, believing violence could sanctify. On the other hand, the peace-church tradition, the Mennonites, Quakers, and Brethren, who proclaimed that to follow Christ meant refusing to kill. In Canada, Mennonites stood as conscientious objectors, not out of cowardice but conviction: that remembering must not glorify war but call us to peace. Between these poles, we find our calling: holy discernment.

Ecclesiastes reminds us that we “cannot contend with the One stronger than we.” This humility is the starting point of discernment. We do not have full wisdom to judge when war is just or peace naïve; we only know that both violence and indifference can betray the Gospel. To discern rightly means:

• Recognizing the cost of war, the dead, the wounded, the invisible grief on both sides.
• Rejecting triumphalism, refusing to call war salvation or confuse nationalism with faith.
• Avoiding passivity, peace is not apathy; it is the courage to love, to speak, to heal, to resist evil without hatred.
​
Discernment is the wind of the Spirit moving through conscience, guiding us neither to fight without compassion nor to watch without care.

When we gather on Remembrance Day, we must both honour and lament. We honour those who served, but we also remember the civilians, the forgotten, even the “enemy” dead. We pray not only for veterans, but for refugees, for broken families, for nations still at war.

As Canadian Christians, our remembrance must go beyond ceremony. It must lead to action rooted in peace:

• Supporting those who bear war’s scars.
• Promoting reconciliation and restorative justice.
• Teaching our children to see courage not as conquest but as compassion.

“Non-violence is not the absence of action but the presence of courageous, creative, love-driven action.” This is bravery in practice, the wind of faith moving through our deeds.

The cross, not the sword, defines the Christian horizon. It points to the end of war’s dominion and the coming of God’s kingdom. We remember, yes, but we also hope. We labour for a world where remembrance leads to peace, not pride, to compassion, not conquest. On this Remembrance Day, may we stand between the sword and the silence, remembering those who died, honouring their courage, lamenting the cost, and committing ourselves to the peace Christ died to give.

May we discern wisely.
May we refuse the simplistic call to violence.
May we resist the comfortable call to indifference.
May we walk the costly path of faithful discipleship, the path of peace, of courage, of hope.