Sabbath, October 12 – Ecclesiastes 4, 5

1. What are the benefits of living together in community with each other? (Eccles. 4:9-12a)

2. Why is it important to live together in community with each other? (Eccles. 4:12b)

Joan Baez released a song in 1968 entitled “No Man is an Island.” This song highlights the innate connection of all people by comparing a human being with an island. Unlike islands, isolated landmasses, we were created to live together in “joy” and “grief” while looking to “the One above” for strength. But we often find ourselves separated from each other like islands separated by water. This separation is often caused by isolation and loneliness, which are lingering COVID effects in our post-COVID context.

Isolation and loneliness are distinct experiences, but they have the same effect of separating us from each other. Both feed into each other, creating a cycle of separation. In this cycle, isolation leads to loneliness, and loneliness leads to isolation. For instance, if I isolate myself from others or others isolate themselves from me, I may experience loneliness, feeling like I don’t belong. And If I think I don’t belong, I may experience loneliness then isolate myself from others. But were not created to live in this cycle of separation.

We were created to experience and reflect the unity existing among God our Creator, Christ our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit our Sustainer. A prominent theme of Ecclesiastes 4 is the “better than” theme. We read that the dead are better than the living (4:2), tranquility with little is better than torment with abundance (4:6), and a poor wise youth is better than an old foolish king (4:13). Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 illustrates the “better than” theme explicitly and subtly in proverbial form. “Qoheleth”, the author, stated the result of two persons’ effort is better than one person’s effort (4:9). That fact was then illustrated by comparing the experience of one person on a journey with the experience of two people on a journey. The person who travels alone has no one to help in a fall, no one to provide warmth in the cold, and no one to defend against an attack. But when two people travel together, one can lift the other from a fall; one can provide warmth for another from the cold, and one can defend the other from an attack. “Two are better than one” because there is help, warmth, and defense in the company of another person. We need each other on this journey of life, and living in community with each other can break the cycle of separation.

If we allow the cycle of separation to continue, it may break apart homes, churches, and communities. But if we break the cycle, we can nurture united homes, churches, and communities. Though we are created to be in a community, we can’t control those who isolate themselves from others. But we can refuse to isolate ourselves from others. Isolation, for the most part, is a choice, so let us choose to come together because we are better together! It’s challenging to prevent the feeling of loneliness from arising within us because we usually don’t choose to feel lonely. But being alone in our loneliness is a choice so let us reach out to others when we feel lonely because we are better together! To break the separation cycle, we should connect deeply with each other because we are better together!

“Qoheleth” subtly suggested that if two are better than one, how much better is three than two (4:12b)? The threefold cord represents the unity and strength of the Three-in-One God, which we are called to embody in our various relationships. Parents are a cord, children are a cord, and God is a cord. With these 3 cords, our families are better together! I am cord, you are cord, and God is a cord. With these 3 cords, our churches are better together! The church is cord, the community is a cord, and God is a cord. With these 3 cords, our society is better together! We are stronger together in God than we are by ourselves.

May the Three-in-One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless us to experience the bliss of their unity among us and to reflect it in our communities through our united families and churches.