Oldies but Goodies

Let me age myself here.

Remember the hit song by The Byrds called “Turn, Turn, Turn?” I do.

“To everything, turn, turn, turn. There is a season, turn, turn, turn.”

The Byrds were a mop-haired band of 60s musicians playing that decade’s version of rock ‘n’ roll. Their music was heavily influenced by some folksong writers and singers of that decade and previous ones. The composer of “Turn, Turn, Turn” is listed as Pete Seeger, a folk singer/provocateur extraordinaire of more than six decades beginning in the 40s.

“Turn, Turn, Turn” was a great song and a smash hit. Both Seeger and the Byrds made a lot of money from that song, and it enabled Seeger to continue his folk-singing ways without having to worry about making a commercial success of his other music. He collected royalties on “Turn, Turn, Turn” until the day he died in 2014.

But Pete didn’t write the song!

If you want to find the lyrics of “Turn, Turn, Turn,” then turn, turn, turn your Bible to the Book of Ecclesiastes because that is where they were written down thousands of years ago. The author was a king of Israel, a son of David, often thought to be Solomon, but probably not. Because he didn’t really write it, perhaps Pete should have directed those royalties elsewhere, but that is a different column.

Ecclesiastes is chock full of wisdom. It does not evince a particularly rosy view of the world, but it is highly quotable and often thought-provoking. It bares the reality of the ancient world of the author, which is not so far from our own. The author tells us that everything is vanity. Work and toil, riches, folly and even wisdom are all vanity.

In a commentary on charity, St. Maximus the Confessor, a monk and theologian of the 6th and 7th centuries, tells us that “Without love, everything is in vain.” God’s commandment is to love one another, and charity towards others is an outward expression of love. Maximus makes the argument that “Charity is a right attitude of mind which prefers nothing to the knowledge of God. If a man possesses any strong attachment to the things of this earth, he cannot possess true charity.”

He goes on to say “A charitable mind is not displayed simply in giving money; it is manifested still more by personal service as well as by the communication of God’s word to others. In fact, if a man’s service toward his brothers is genuine and if he really renounces worldly concerns, he is freed from selfish desires.”

He checks all the boxes of stewardship in that first sentence: “Communication of God’s word to others = prayer = “time;” “Personal service” = talent; and “money” = treasure.

Ecclesiastes tells us there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecc 1:9). The command to love one another, the need to show charity to our brothers and sisters, and the vanity of seeking earthly riches above our love of God are all timeless in nature. They are as relevant today as ever.

Neither Pete Seeger nor the Byrds wrote that song, and both became wealthy because of it. Yet without them putting it to music and sharing it with the world, many of us would have spent little time contemplating those words. Written 2,400 years ago and made popular again 50 years ago, there really is nothing new under the sun. Charity, the sharing of God’s gifts to us, is timeless.

To everything, there is a season.

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