On April 25, we’ll be starting a study of the book of Ecclesiastes. Unlike many of the books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes is a highly stylized and downright disturbing book. Written sometime in the early 10th century BCE, it looks at life from the ultimate pessimist’s perspective and really highlights some of the biggest flaws in human thinking.

The title of the series is a paraphrase of the common refrain in Ecclesiastes. In Hebrew, the phrase is hebel wa-ruach, commonly translated as “vanity and vexation of spirit.” It is a figure of speech meaning “as empty as chasing the wind” or something similar. In other words, it is a useless endeavor. Hence, blah blah blah yada yada yada.

Personally, I think this is going to be one of the more fun series we have done lately. It gives us an opportunity to laugh at ourselves, at our vain ambitions and sometimes silly obsessions. It will also give us a chance to see all of our attempts at happiness and fulfillment through the eyes of a man who had the resources to try everything and who still came up empty.

You’ll want to check it out.