To pray in the name of Jesus is to pray, through God's Spirit, to God as "Abba, Father", coming to him in the love and trust that title makes possible.
As the Teacher in Ecclesiastes considers the problems with human labor, we are forced to ask not only, "Why do we work?", but more importantly, "For whom do we work?"
The promise of "a new you" is not an empty promise, but according to Paul in Romans 6, it is a promise fulfilled through the radical intervention of death and resurrection.
While the Teacher in Ecclesiastes lamented the animal-like behavior of humanity and could not see beyond the veil of death, the cross of Christ describes how Jesus died for animals like us and can raise us with Him through faith.
When it comes to the events and experiences of our existence, randomness does not rule. God does. He is the Sovereign over our seasons. The Teacher reminds us of this fact in Ecclesiastes 3, and the Cross reminds us that God's ordering is for the good of those who believe.
Not only is the Christ hymn of Philippians 2 a powerful picture of the gospel, but it also helps us hear harmony in regard to the nature of God, when often Christians today either worship God as a friend or as an exalted King.
Far from being irrelevant, God's rebuke of idolatry through the prophet Jeremiah is a reminder to us that our idolatry can only be cured when we walk with a vision of God's unique greatness.
While Ecclesiastes is one of the 'older' books in the Bible, it might also be the most modern. In the opening chapter, the Teacher reminds us that life seems pointless when we look for meaning around us and not above us.