EDGE Spring 2007  - Ecclesiastes – Session 4

Welcome

Can anyone do anything with their bodies that other people can’t. Or do something for longer than everyone else?

Just a thought… ideas might be to do with tongues, fingers, sitting in a particular way, sitting against the wall, standing upside down, balancing on one ear!

Worship

Thank God for each other, and for his amazing love that loves everyone! On this Valentine’s week – remember the sacrifice of love, the demonstration of love, the ultimate gift of love.

Word

Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

First of all remind each other why we don’t need to make the same sacrifices that Solomon and his people did (perhaps see Heb 10:1-14 for further info)

However we are still called to offer sacrifices.

Get a large piece of paper / card and draw a body on it… then list all the ways you think the Bible tells us to offer sacrifices to God. Draw these on the body… some are obvious, some you may have to be a bit more creative.

Once the group has run out of ideas, ‘check’ your answers with the following Bible references:

Rom. 12:1-2

Rom. 15:16

Phil. 4:18

Heb 13:15

Heb 13:16

Ps 51:17

Ps 141:1-2

Spend a bit of time discussing how we can bring these sacrifices before God in a right way and also how we do this in a foolish or careless way.

The writer then encourages us in our prayers: what warnings does he also give? V2-3

The author of Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan, wrote: “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.”

Finally he warns us about making rash promises to God.

What sorts of promises do we make to God?

Do we keep them? If we don’t what excuses do we offer?

How has this passage encouraged you? If it hasn’t yet… remember that God is our loving heavenly Father. So yes he is God and we need to offer our reverent sacrifices, but he is also our Father who loves us so much and loves to hear us talk to him… love us to offer our bodies and mouths and hands and hearts and feet and ears and ribs to him!

Witness

What new offering to God are you going to make?