From Life to Death with Anna Nicole Smith

I am a pastor, so I have been preaching through a series in the Book of Ecclesiastes about “the Meaninglessness of Life”. In this series, we have talked about the futility that is contained in the things of life, not things that suck, but good things that were designed by God to be enjoyed. We all enjoy good food, like a Steak Diane from the Cheesecake Factory, or a piece of chocolate cake from Dailey’s. Those are things obviously to be enjoyed. We also enjoy good sex (those of us who are married). Although some of us might cringe when that word is mentioned, the truth is God has created it to be a beautiful thing; the world and our own wicked hearts have perverted it, so much so that we can’t even read the Song of Solomon without blushing, or if we do we buy into the incredulous idea that somehow the Shulammite woman’s breasts refer in some way to the church. We enjoy the satisfaction in accomplishments or the labor to which we give ourselves. Especially those of us who can be given to being a workaholic know how enjoyable work can be. We also enjoy the taste of good wine (especially white wine), because it was “made for the gladness of man’s heart”. We also enjoy friendship. I have really basked in the friendships God has given me in my life. I feel like a fool for squandering some of the ones I have had in the past, but still cherish the few valuable ones that I have, because they are priceless, and they make the world a safer place for me to live in. I also enjoy wisdom. I have been to school and to college and I still enjoy reading a theology book like nothing else. I enjoy learning and becoming more knowledgeable of the world in which we live. I love music, as well. I enjoy listening to good Christian rock as well as good secular rock, and I have learned to glorify God in both. I also enjoy laughter. Wow, my life is so stupid sometimes, I have to laugh. I have to give myself permission to laugh at the crazy things that take place at times. That is the world in which we live. I could go on and on about the many gifts that God has given each of us, and they are great and they are to be received with thanksgiving and enjoyed.

But they must never become the pursuit of our lives. They must become the bed of roses on the path to our goal. They are certainly beautiful to look at and to smell, but we must never pitch our tent in the bed of roses and make that our dwelling place. That is the thing that Solomon found out about life. Life has a lot of fleeting joy; it always leaves you wanting something more. It’s like drinking a Coke; you enjoy it when you’re thirsty, but it has a tremendous after taste that makes you want something purer, like water.

Life was designed by God to be like this. Our hearts have been fashioned in such a way to give us a longing for something greater, for something more long-lasting, for something more eternal, for something more divine…like God.

If we fool ourselves into thinking that this world will satisfy our starving hearts, we will die miserable. It reminds me of the news story I heard today about Anna Nicole Smith dying. Thirty-nine years of age. Table dancer, Playboy’s Play Mate of the year, Marilyn Monroe look-alike, widow of half-a-billion dollars-oil tycoon, star of a reality t.v. show, model, etc., etc., etc. And now she is dead. What is all that to her now? But don’t be so hard on her. We all have our own repertoire of things we value in this life. They’re certainly not as impressive as Anna Nicole Smith’s, but they are all the same nothingness.

The same way her life ended is the same way our own life will end- with the breath going out and our lives’ pleasures not meaning anything. Our challenge from this is to see our life as part of a grand purpose that God has for us; a purpose that is not fully known, but is manifestly acknowledged and submitted to. We are not here for ourselves, but for the glory of God, but our happiness depends upon God. Not the temporal, shallow happiness that goes away with the gift, but the deep, radical, God-centered happiness that is never-ending, because it is fixed on the Giver.