22 The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again.
Read this list of things again. No music, no daily activities, no food preparation, no light, and no life transitions. What a miserable time. We use music to articulate and punctuate our feelings. When we are happy we listen to upbeat music. We might even get into the music and sing along or even dance a little. The music helps us express what we are feeling on the inside. When we are sad we can relate to the words of Country Music, with its broken relationships and empty promises. But a world without any music would be a world without emotional expression. Often work becomes an outlet for our creativity and energies. We use work as an expression of who we are. Often men identify strongly with their work. They become their work and as a result often have to figure out who they are again when they stop working. So when work is taken away, identity and self-expression are stripped away. The next is also connected to work, often in that day, a woman’s work. The first step in preparing the most basic of food is the grinding of the wheat to make flour. So when the grinding stops, food stops. All the dinnertime conversations and the smells that draw us together are gone. No more double lattes and scones. No more cookies and ice cream. No more burgers and fries. No more gatherings around a table for face to face connection with others. It is gone, never to return. And technology is useless. The simple lamps that extended the light beyond sunset are gone. The simple invention that gave freedom to do small things in the evenings is gone. And all the joyful transitions in life like a wedding vanish, never to return. No hope for future generations, all gone in a day. Now that is a sad day. That is a day of judgment. And we as Jesus-followers are not subject to these difficulties. This is the fate of those who do not repent when repeated offers are refused. We accept mercy and forgiveness, and receive joy and connection with God and others. We look forward to the great meal in heaven, a time of infinite closeness and conversation.
The Arnold Journey 