During this past summer, we have been looking a various stories from the Old Testament. We have been learning lessons from these stories as we have looked at Moses, Deborah, Esther, David, Jonah, Abraham, and Elijah. Today, we are going to look at another Old Testament character, but instead of looking at a story, we want to look at one of his writings. Our adult Sunday School classes started looking at this book last week. From what we can tell, Solomon is the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes. It is from the Hebrew wisdom writings and is related to Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon. In the Hebrew, Koheleth means congregation or community. When it was translated into Greek (into the Septuagint) the word means, “one who sits an speaks in an assembly or church.” From this word we get ecclesia, which is applied to the New Testament church.
Solomon is for us, the preacher or teacher today. Several weeks ago, Pam and I were looking for something to put on the church sign. Just as an aside, this is something I take seriously. I regularly look at what is on other church signs. Some make me think. Some make me laugh in a good way. Some make me laugh in a bad way and some even make me cringe. When you think about it, we have just 10 seconds or less (the way people drive) to get a meaningful message to those who pass by. Church signs send all kinds of messages and I want to make sure we send good messages, because I have seen many bad examples of what to put on a church sign. That is one of the reasons that we look for short punchy scriptures. Since we were approaching school, we were thinking of scriptures that applied to our stud0ents returning to school. At Rebecca’s Baccalaureate this past spring, the preacher used Ecclesiastes 12:1 as a jumping off point. This is the scripture that has been on our sign for the last two weeks. As I looked at it each day, it became clear that God was wanting me to preach on that verse this morning as we prepare to send our students back to school.
Solomon wrestles with the question throughout the book, “Is there any meaning to life?” Can we find anything worth sinking our teeth into in life? Almost 30 years ago, a young man named Kerry Livgren was searching similarly for meaning to life. He had searched through several religions to find meaning. He searched through his music to find meaning. At the time of writing this song, the band he was in was beginning to hit their stride. They had finally found success and yet, Livgren found little meaning, even in the success of his music. Solomon explores that there is little in life that gives us meaning. We can look for it in wisdom, pleasure, work, religion, things, and money and still not be satisfied. Before we look at the answer to this meaning of life question, I’d like to share a song Livgren wrote. The song became a huge hit and perhaps you’ve heard it before.

Dust in the Wind

Later on in the message, I want to tell you “The Rest of the Story” sort of like Paul Harvey would have done. So, into this mix, the preacher cries, “2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “utterly meaningless!”
3 What do people get for all their hard work? 4 Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. 5 The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. 7 The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. 8 Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn’t already exist long ago? 11 We don’t remember what happened in those former times. And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

Now between the song I just sang and the scripture I just read, I’m thinking you’ve been encouraged. I’m just kidding. One thing I love about the scriptures is that they relate to real life. There are people who we meet every day, who feel like this. That there is really nothing new under the sun and that life has no meaning whatsoever. It really is amazing that several popular songs have been inspired by this book that we are looking at this morning. The Byrd’s Turn, Turn, Turn is a wonderful musical paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 3. I know several Christian artists since the late seventies have covered or remade that song. Finally in chapter 12, the preacher comes to that point. If life is simply about wisdom, or work, or pleasure, or toys, or wealth, or power, or prestige, then life really is meaningless. What is the answer to the meaningless of life? What is the meaning of life? What does all this have to do with Back-to-School Sunday? Here is what the preacher writes starting in Ecclesiastes 11:7:

7 Light is sweet; it’s wonderful to see the sun! 8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember that the dark days will be many. Everything still to come is meaningless.
9 Young man, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness.
1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. 2 It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds. 3 Your limbs will tremble with age, and your strong legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to do their work, and you will be blind, too. 4 And when your teeth are gone, keep your lips tightly closed when you eat! Even the chirping of birds will wake you up. But you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with a quavering voice. 5 You will be afraid of heights and of falling, white-haired and withered, dragging along without any sexual desire. You will be standing at death’s door. And as you near your everlasting home, the mourners will walk along the streets.
6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

I don’t know if our students will remember the challenge that I gave them at the beginning of the summer. In case they forgot, I challenged them to give God their very best throughout the summer – nothing else was acceptable. I like what the writer says here. He encourages young people to try out their wings. This past week, was an incredibly emotional week as we took Rebecca to Central, SC and drop her off at Southern Wesleyan. Pam and I have been preparing for this week for years and yet nothing (and I mean nothing could stop the tears as we gathered for the Passing of the Mantle service) I had the chance to pray over my child, because now she was going to spread her wings and fly. Again this is something that I knew was coming. There is a time when we release our children to God. (We did that many years ago.) It’s so much more different, when it’s finally time to let them go. (Yes, there have been several phone calls and the e-mail is flying.) But the author encourages you young people to test your wings. Being young is wonderful. You are full of energy. Enjoy it, because not too long from now the body will begin its aching, like mine does and you won’t have the energy you have now. The preacher says, “take it all in.” But there is one important point. You will give an account to God. So go out and enjoy life, grab it for all it’s worth, but remember there are things that are not beneficial for you. He goes on to say, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old.” How good this advice is. It is really easy in today’s culture to forget that we have a Creator. The church is one of the few places you will be reminded of that. Our school systems tell us we simply evolved. I taught a lesson to our Middle School students a few weeks back. Imagine if the Mona Lisa was a result of a cat knocking over a few cans of paint. How about if a crane dropped a block of marble and out popped the statue of David. Or what would happen if the Eiffel Tower had simply exploded into existence. What if you poured random ingredients into a blender and out popped a delicious steak and potatoes meal? How much sense does that make and yet we are taught to believe that this wonderfully complex creation that we live in simply blended itself together and started because of some random big bang? Which sounds more believable to you? Students don’t ever forget your Creator…you will give an account to him someday. So many people say, I have plenty of time. But the preacher reminds us today – don’t wait – don’t waste your whole life and then follow God – do it now – trust in Him – obey Him.
Here is my challenge for our young people – and even our older people – are you willing to give God your very best? — your very best? Are you willing to trust him? Are you willing to obey Him? The altar is open as we sing this wonderful gospel song – Trust and Obey.