"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;" - Joel 1:1
I don't own a trumpet; I don't play a trumpet; I can't actually, literally follow this directive.
But I do love the sound of trumpets and this trumpet sounds like one I can relate to.
The "day of the Lord!"
It is a day of judgment and that can be terrifying ... but it can also be comforting.
It all depends on how one aligns oneself.
For instance, if you are protesting an evil repressive regime and calling for justice, the trumpet might sound quite appealing. If you are suffering under the weight of that oppression, you may long for the trumpet to sound.
It is the day of setting things right.
But it is also a day of great mercy.
Trumpets sound
If you are suffering under the weight of debilitating disease, the weight of a persistent addiction, the weight of depression, guilt, shame, or financial worries, you long for the sound of the trumpet. If you wake up pondering and mourning the state of the world, you dance to the sound of the trumpet.
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
You are looking, longing, and languishing for a new day. The trumpet lets us know that the day is here and now ... even as a greater day is coming.
But we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
These days of Lenten preparation begin with the ashes of grief, sorrow, penitence, and pain, but they do so against the backdrop of a trumpet announcing a new day.
Hand me a trumpet and I will do my best to play along with the band.