Ecclesiastes (Funeral Reading/Message)

My grandmother died last week and I had the honour of giving the following reading at her funeral.  The people attending were mostly non-churchgoing folk.  I wanted something that could provide some comfort but at the same time challenged people.  As always, I welcome your feedback.

This reading is from the book of Ecclesiastes which is wise king Solomon’s account of his search for meaning in life, and in death.

1:3-4 
(3) What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (4) A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

2:4, 8, 21, 
(4) I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. (8) I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines (20) [but] I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, (21) because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it.

3:1-2, 12-13 
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (2) a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (12) I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; (13) also that everyone should eat and drin/>And Solomon’s second conclusion is that we will all die one day, and we are reminded of this in the death of all loves ones, so we need to ensure that we bear our own mortality in mind when we make decisions and go about our lives.

Super(?) Schemes

These days it is compulsory for employers to automatically enroll new workers into the kiwisaver scheme.  This is a way to increase savings for retirement for people and requires you to opt out of it rather than asking if you want in on it in the first place.  Your contribution (from your pay) is added to a government contribution, which is then added to the employer contribution.

There is a lot more in the minor details, but it is the major details that I have a philosophical problem with.  Two problems in fact.

Problem one:  Tax dollars are being taken from me and given to other people.  I can save fine on my own as I have enough knowledge and will power to save, making this scheme unnecessary for me.  Also, I prefer to make my own decisions about how I spend my money.  If I want to save more during one part of the year and spend more at another part, why shouldn’t I be allowed to?  Where is my freedom in this not so subtle system of extra taxation?

Problem two: My employer must pay something over and above what I already get paid by them.  This doesn’t seem fair on the employer, especially if I began work with them without the expectation that they would contribute to my savings.  Now, everyone who started after the date that it became compulsory to automatically enroll will get more from the employer, but I am still on the same total income that I was receiving before this.  Not only is the employer forced to pay more, driving up the cost of production for items sold and cost of provision for services sold, but I am getting less than others for no good reason.

A number of other questions arise, such as:
Will employees who agree to opt out of the kiwisaver scheme, during the 6 week window of opt out opportunity, be more likely to get the job?  They will cost their employer less by doing so; and if it is illegal to make this arrangement under the table, who will police it?  And will it be practical to police it?

Personally, I think that the way to go is to make your own contract with your employer that deals with things like this.  While it seems easier for most to use the union and have a collective agreement contract, it is not actually in the best interests of the thoughtful and innovative (“top”) workers to be lumped in with the rest.  My employer and I will both get a better deal if we agree on our own terms.  I might get a slightly higher salary than others who are in the union, but that extra covers the benefits that the union fights for.  Perhaps it would force people to identify exactly what they have to offer to society, if they had to negotiate their own terms of employment and salary.  I know that I would rather have the freedom to decide on finances for myself and my family, as long as there is enough to cover my expenses and to allow me to save for emergencies (and treats).  

Unfortunately, the real world is not so simple and there is a web of systems that link up and depend on each other, making it almost impossible to break free from something like the tax system.  However, some technological innovations, such as the Internet, are hopefully leading to better options for everyone for the future!

Images and Idols

Mark 12:13-17  And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk.  (14)  And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?"  (15)  But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it."  (16)  And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's."  (17)  Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at him.

Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

I was reading this passage in Mark and turning it over in my mind this morning.  Having recently been thinking about humans being made in the image of God, a slightly different angle occurred to me which I had never considered.  

One other piece of information is required to put everything together that occurred to me:  Some of the Caesars claimed divinity and worship as gods.  I don’t know precisely the extent of this, or how much they expected worship, but it is very clear that there was something divinely attributed to the man who held the title.  This came about either by sinful pride and arrogance from one of the early Roman leaders himself, or from followers who sought to make him more than he was.

Now, back to the passage at hand, and Jesus is asking who’s likeness (image) is on the coin.  Of course it is Caesar’s image.  Compare this to us, being the image of God.  We have on the one hand, the True God and His image, and on the other hand, a false god and his image on a coin.  

Taking this information in the light of Jesus’ statement, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." we can take the view that everything that is made in the image of Caesar can be given to him, money and all material possessions that might be symbolised by profit and prosperity, but everything that is really important, i.e. the person himself, the image of God, can be given to God.

Mere possessions and money are nothing, so let Caesar have them if he wants them.  These things are merely a reflection of Caesar himself: empty, false sources of happiness, the love of which is eternally perishing, claiming to be of more importance than they really are.

Again, on the other hand, the things that are made in God’s image, let those be given to God, let us be rendered to God.  Not caring for the things of this world, may we devote our lives to Him, eternally, and joyfully!