Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near - a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God?  

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

My five-year-old daughter came running to get me this morning because the TV was making a "weird beeping noise." She wanted to know what was wrong. I reassured her that nothing was wrong. It was only a test of the emergency broadcast system. I explained that it's their job to warn people when something dangerous is going to happen - things like tornadoes, floods and wildfires.

It's our job as Christians to warn the world of the dangers of sin. A sin is anything that separates us from living in harmony with God and with each other. Materialism, injustice, and greed can be like wildfires that threaten to consume us. Addictions and selfishness can rip through our lives like tornadoes and leave us drowning in grief. We do not have forever to fix the problems that plague our earth or our personal lives. Blow the trumpet, sound the alarm! This is not a test!

Each of us will face our own "day of the Lord" soon enough. We don't have to be afraid. It is never too late to turn away from our destructive ways and turn to the Lord for a blessing. Peace, love and a life full of joy and meaning are waiting for each of us. As Christians we are the emergency broadcast system for the world. But we need to start in our own hearts and our own churches. Each day we need to return to our Lord, who is slow to anger and full of love.