The Scripture reading for this Sunday is Isaiah 43:1-7.
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What is the meaning of life?
That's the kind of question that can make us wonder, stop us in our tracks, and possibly throw us into despair. Sometimes things just seem so meaning-less.
I like that comic, showing Snoopy sitting on top of his doghouse wondering. We don't usually tackle the question of the meaning of life when we are in the midst of an activity, or when things are going great. It's when things go wrong that we start wondering about the meaning of life and all the things that happen around us.
I remember as 11-year-old kid wondering that really for the first time. My grandparent's barn had just burnt down and I stood outside staring at the smoldering remains and thought, "Why?" All the memories I had, all the fun times, ... gone. "And for what?" I wondered. It didn't make sense.
This Sunday we are going to look at that question ("What is the meaning of life?"). We're going to look at what we are talking about when we talk about meaning (purpose, significance, value, ...) and at the possible answers. And, most importantly, we are going to look at what Scripture has to say, because in Scripture we will find not just any answer, but the only rational answer that satisfies that deep and probing question.
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In preparation for Sunday I invite you to read through Isaiah 40:1-43:7 and the book of Ecclesiastes (especially noting the final conclusion made in Ecclesiastes 12:9-14)