When the Trumpeters Sound in Creation Time!

Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

I Corinthians 15:51-52 NRSVue

 Last week the cancellation of a visit from friends led Ruth to suggest that we go for an early morning kayak paddle on the Moira River north of Belleville. We saw deer and kingfishers and a green heron -- all wonderful. As we returned to the landing we heard unusual honking, then saw the source, a pair of trumpeter swans in flight. These swans are unusual in this area where not-so-mute swans are the norm.

There was a thrill to the sound of the Creator's trumpets, the whoosh of their wings, and the moment of realization of the source. This gave us a great start to a day during Creation Time.

The encounter also brought to mind one of my favourite memories in ministry, back in 1997, one I've shared here before. While living in Sudbury I came upon a conga line of young trumpeter swans following a kayaker on a nearby lake. They were part of a project out of Guelph University to condition the swans to fly behind an ultralight aircraft to wintering habitat in the United States in order to reestablish a migratory route.This project was partially sponsored by the Falconbridge mining company.

If this scenario sounds familiar, one of the leaders, Wayne Bezner Kerr, was the "goose wrangler" for the popular film Fly Away Home. When the swans eventually followed the ultralight it looked much the same. 

Wayne and his wife Rachel, who was pregnant at the time, were in the increasingly cold water with the swans every day as part of their work and Ruth kindly invited them for a meal in our home. We also had a well-attended potluck dinner at St. Andrew's United where they explained their research and methodology.

They did teach the swans to follow them and, yes, the swans did return. There are still trumpeter swans coming back to Kelly Lake decades later. About ten years ago Wayne, who now lives in the United States, called me in Belleville just to reminisce about those eventful months. Needless to say, I was delighted to hear from him. 

I appreciate that the apostle Paul was declaring the resurrection of Jesus when he wrote about the trumpet in his letter to the Corinthians, but he also wrote about the groaning of Creation. I'm glad that those trumpeter swans came back after so many decades. We humans can do worthwhile things when "living with respect in Creation."