Recovering Eden
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes reminds us that life under the sun does not happen according to neat and tidy rules. He asks us to see the world around us in all its messiness and explores what that reveals about us, our world, and God. If someone were to say to him, “You shouldn’t talk so plainly,” he would respond, “But people go through this kind of stuff and we have to talk about it. These things happen, so now what?” The result is a meditation that engages people where they are and draws them to face up to the God who enters their world and redeems it and them.
Zack Eswine (BSW, Ball State University; MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary; PhD, Regent University) is lead pastor of Riverside Church in St. Louis. He formerly served as assistant professor of Homiletics and the director for the Doctor of Ministry program at Covenant Theological Seminary and was a campus minister with the Navigators.