Sermon Tone Analysis

Bob Cartwright was disappointed when he was unable to accept an invitation to fly to New York with his friend Tyler Stanger and the professional baseball player Cory Lidle for a playoff game between the Yankees and the Tigers.

He felt differently when he saw the news that Stanger and Lidle had crashed into an apartment building and perished.

“I was supposed to be on that plane,” Cartwright said.

Yet just one month later Cartwright died in another plane crash, near his mountain home in California.

Here is another example.

Bob Cartwright was disappointed when he was unable to accept an invitation to fly to New York with his friend Tyler Stanger and the professional baseball player Cory Lidle for a playoff game between the Yankees and the Tigers.

He felt differently when he saw the news that Stanger and Lidle had crashed into an apartment building and perished.

“I was supposed to be on that plane,” Cartwright said.

Yet just one month later Cartwright died in another plane crash, near his mountain home in California.

Then there is Donald Peters, who bought two Connecticut lottery tickets on November 1, 2008—just as he had for the previous twenty years.

As it turned out, one of his tickets was worth $10 million.

But Peters was not as lucky as one might think, because he died of a heart attack later on the very day that he bought the winning ticket.

None of these unfortunate, unexpected events would have surprised the Preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes.

“Time and chance happen to them all,” he would have said.

“Man knows not his time.”

Here is another example.

Bob Cartwright was disappointed when he was unable to accept an invitation to fly to New York with his friend Tyler Stanger and the professional baseball player Cory Lidle for a playoff game between the Yankees and the Tigers.

He felt differently when he saw the news that Stanger and Lidle had crashed into an apartment building and perished.

“I was supposed to be on that plane,” Cartwright said.

Yet just one month later Cartwright died in another plane crash, near his mountain home in California.

Donald Peters, who bought two Connecticut lottery tickets on November 1, 2008—just as he had for the previous twenty years.

As it turned out, one of his tickets was worth $10 million.

But Peters was not as lucky as one might think, because he died of a heart attack later on the very day that he bought the winning ticket.

Traffic jams when your already late.

10000 spoons when all you need is a knife.

Its like rain on your wedding day, a free ride when you already paid, good advice that you just didn't take.

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you.

None of these unfortunate, unexpected events would have surprised the Preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes.

Again Solomon discusses the continued frustrations of life in a fallen world.

The last time we saw how the same things happen to people whether good or evil.

Today we see that the same principle is in effect even for those of various gifting and talents.

Ordinarily we would expect things to go well for people with strong abilities.

Often they do, but having speed or strength or smarts does not guarantee success.

What will guarantee success?

We will find out.

Ryken, P. G. (2010).