Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 7/27/2024
Sermon Prep
Like usual, both good and bad things happened in November of 2022. On the good side, my wife and I moved into our very own apartment on November 12th. It was amazing to have that apartment for the 13 months that we did. To have our own home that’s just for us was something special. It was a 3rd story apartment facing south where you could see Denver and the surrounding mountains. Brand new too, so we were the first to live there and we absolutely loved it.
On the bad side, my job hunt was beginning to get exhausting because I didn’t get any bites. What made matters worse was that on the next day after preaching this sermon, our VP of Sales who internally steered the ship at the company I worked at was unexpectedly fired without warning. For context, this person was the most influential person in our company until the acquisition began to take place earlier in the summer. If anything, this was a cleaning house situation which meant my team was next.
Oddly enough, as my wife’s season of mourning the move away from home and her panic attacks ended around mid-November my life became the living hell next. In retrospect, these first few months of marriage truly felt like a refining time in life. Testing us and our trust in God, which is always good.
In regards to my sermon prep, I don’t think there was all that much to it given how distracted I was at this time. I remember my best idea was referencing the new Lightyear movie as my sermon analogy for the opener. If that’s the best you’ve got for a sermon, then you’re in trouble.
Sure, examples can be good starting points but I had no reference for growing old spiritually. I was 25 and newly married, so life overall was new and exciting in spite of the testing God had us go through. One of my worse messages for sure, but here’s the notes either way.
Sermon Notes
Opening Line
- Lightyear: Buzz blasts through time to save best friend, but misses his life.
- Time dilation speeds up time.
- In my own life, I’ve experienced this.
Intro
- Read Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14
Transition To Main Point
- Aging is meaningless without Jesus
Main Point
- 1) Enjoy life as God intended (Ecc. 11:7-10)
- Verses 7-8
- Life is a good gift, but very brief.
- Days of death outweigh days of life.
- Verses 9-10
- Enjoy life now, not later.
- Avoid evil because God will judge.
- Verses 7-8
- 2) Live with God before you age out (Ecc. 12:1-7)
- Verses 1-7
- If read all at once, text leaves you out of breath. Life runs-on like sentence.
- Turn to God before time runs out.
- Verses 1-7
- 3) Trust God as your life-support and light.
- Only God can bear the weight of your brokenness and save you from sin.
- There’s your stupid way and then there’s God’s wise way.
Why It Matters
- With Jesus, growing old has meaning.
- Aging isn’t something to be avoided, but something to be accepted in humility.
Final Thoughts
At this stage, I was just grateful to get this over with if I’m being honest. Preaching was the last thing on my mind. I was distracted and not ready to talk about the passing of time. The inevitable and all of its deep themes when it comes to becoming older. I’m glad I got to preach and was also glad that our study in Ecclesiastes was ending. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.
Footnotes
- Angus MacLane. 2022. Lightyear. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
chris cribari blog 