The minister writes… from our February 2024 newsletter
Dear friends,
I don’t know if it’s quite the done thing for a minister to admit that there are some passages in the Bible that they really don’t like very much but I must confess to not being fond of Ecclesiastes! If the author were King Solomon (and scholars dispute this) then, despite his legendary wisdom, I can only say that he was in a bit of a glum place when he wrote it. The refrain, ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ (earlier translations have ‘Vanity! Vanity!’) appears repeatedly and is applied to everything: wisdom, folly, pleasure, toil, riches, advancement – everything except reverence for God and his commandments.
The most well-known passage is Chapter 3 and ‘A time for everything.’ I’ve always felt it stops a bit abruptly and that it needs rounding off (sorry, Solomon!). Nevertheless, having heard it read at a recent funeral, I was pondering on it and its message that there are seasons for everything. We certainly can’t refute the truth in that. We see it in our own lives, don’t we? Seasons of youth and vitality giving way to seasons of age and experience. Times of joy, counterbalanced by times of sadness. In the same month we can celebrate the birth of a long-awaited child and mourn the death of someone we love dearly. In our own church community there will be those enjoying a special birthday or anniversary and others travelling the long pathway of grief that leads ultimately to a place of healing.
The passage also speaks of a time to destroy and a time to build, a time to tear and a time to mend. It may be that we encounter times when it seems that everything we’ve previously enjoyed, maybe even taken for granted, has broken: dreams shattered or discarded, relationships becoming complicated or troubled, illness bringing adjustment and limitation. As we face difficult situations, perhaps it helps to remember that these too are seasons, hard whilst they last but in time we may rebuild, reconcile, heal – or perhaps start over.
The fleeting nature of our lives is something the book explores, its apparent message being that if life is good, enjoy it whilst you can, and if it isn’t, don’t worry because it will be over all too soon. I’m not sure how comforting I find that! It is helpful to be reminded that we only have the present moment in which we can make a difference, so act now whilst we can, do good deeds, speak words of kindness. But the thought that it will be over all too soon….well, what can I say except that the author lived before Jesus Christ? He believed in God but had no concept of life beyond death. His words speak of judgement but not so much of mercy.
Perhaps if the writer of Ecclesiastes had lived 1,000 years later, he might have added something more to his ‘A time for everything.’ Excuse my audacity but indulge me for a moment…. Perhaps he might have added: ‘a time to show mercy and a time to receive forgiveness,’ ‘a time to despair and a time to hope,’ ‘a time for the grave and a time for resurrection,’ ‘a time to be parted and a time to be reunited.’
If you were to write your own ‘A time for everything’ I wonder what you would include?
With every blessing,
Sharon