Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
The world was shocked on April 21, when news that the iconic artist known as Prince had died. Some thought that it was another social media hoax until it was confirmed by the national news outlets. It was reported that Prince Roger Nelson was found dead in his Minneapolis from complications of pneumonia and a severe flu.
His death sparked a wave of purple tributes around the world. The 57-year-old artist sold more than 100 million records, won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him number 27 on its list of 100 Greatest Artist and called him the most influential artist of the Rock and Roll era.
He truly was one of the greatest entertainers of his day. From the likes of James Brown, to Michael Jackson to Morris Day to Usher, it was Prince’s season. It was his season to command center stage of the entertainment world. It was his season to change forever the way music would be released to the world.
It was his season as the preacher puts it in Verse 13 to enjoy the good of his labor (v.13a). But make no mistake about it, his genius and his talent was a gift from God (v.13b). To everything the preacher declares in Verse 1 there is a season. It was undisputedly Prince’s season.
The news of Prince’s death was the conversation of the day. Our printer that day ran out of ink and so I went to Staples office supply store to purchase a magenta color cartridge for the printer. As I got out of my car walking into the store, I overheard two ladies in the parking lot talking about Prince’s death.
One of the ladies was saying how sad and shocking it was for him to be gone at such a young age and how we were losing so many Black entertainers so young. She proceeded to call the names of those in recent times who had died so young; Luther Vandross she said [who died July 5, 2005 at the age of 54], Michael Jackson [who died June 25, 2009 at age of 50] and Whitney Houston [who died February 11, 2012 at the age of 48]. How sad and shocking, she said, that Prince is gone at such a young age.
The other lady responded saying, “Well, it was just his time. All of us,” she said, “will have to go when it is our time.”
There is a time, the preacher says in the latter part of Verse 1, for every purpose under heaven. There is a time to be born and a time to die (v. 2). All of us will go when it is our time. When it is our time, the only thing that will matter is what we did when it was our season.
In the season of our good health, and the season of our right mind, the preacher admonishment is to do good. Eat, drink and enjoy he says the fruit of our labor, but let us not forget the One who gave us what we have to enjoy (v.13). All that we have in this life is a gift from the God. Naked, Job said, came I from my mother’s womb and naked shall I return (Job 1:21).
Let us praise God, and worship God and thank God for the great things that God has done.
The Rev. Dr. Kelvin T. Calloway, Sr., is the pastor of Bethel AME Church, located at 7900 South Western Avenue in Los Angeles.
