Dry Bones

Somehow I never put it together that Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones was an encouragement to him and God’s people in exile. Goodness knows they had lost enough of the family in various battles throughout history, but losing their city and temple to the Babylonians, things they relied on for identity, probably hurt the most. Yes, to be exiled and lose key leaders and be torn from each other was awful, but the foundation of place and where God dwelled? That was a far greater loss.

I’ve been thinking a lot about bones and loss, with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Taliban reclaiming Afghanistan after a 20 year war and so many casualties, and the many unmarked graves at residential schools. So many lifeless bones, seemingly forgotten and unidentifiable.

The vision in Ezekiel 37 calls the bones dry, parched from being in the sun and without any life or marrow in them. God asks “Can these bones live?” It’s a vital question and Ezekiel gives a good answer: “Only You know, Lord.” It may have seemed like a trick question. But Ezekiel knows that with God there is always hope, that the Almighty can flip situations that seem like dead ends and make them into new beginnings. Life can spring from deserts. Resurrection can come from devastation and loss.

As the church comes together in worship, perhaps for the first time or two, after exile, we may be wondering if these bones can live. With dramatically reduced attendance and the anxiety of people and a fourth wave of pandemic, can new life spring up? With atrophied muscles forgetting how to be together and to serve beyond ourselves and to move from fear, can a new way revitalize us?

Ezekiel was to speak God’s word to those bones and to prophesy to them and only then did sinew and tendons appear and skin, the bones having reconnected forming skeletons once again. God could have done it, but instead challenged Ezekiel to say what needed to be said. And it was only when Ezekiel prophesied to the breath that the skeletons came to life, filled with the Spirit of God. Perhaps the better questions for us are - As God’s people are we listening to the word prophesied to us? who are our modern prophets? and are we allowing the Spirit to fill us?

As someone who writes and preaches, I’m very aware of the weight of trying to rightly discern which words of God to focus on and which words to put around the scriptures that I share. I want to be faithful as I prophesy to those who need to hear a word from the Lord - to be encouraged, challenged, informed, re-centered, or included. I pray before preaching “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, o God, our Rock and Redeemer”. I suppose all words we say in worship and conversation should be intentional and we should pray that they are the words God wishes us to share.

My prayer for all of us who are attempting to speak to both dry and living bones is that we take it seriously and do whatever we can to make sure that our words are ones that will do what God wants them to do - heal, rebuke, strengthen, inspire, bless - and that we say them in such a way that people sense God speaking through them. Will these bones live? Only God knows. But God’s Word will not return empty.