Sermon
4-6-14
Can these bones live? It’s quite a question that God asks of Ezekiel in our reading for this morning. As you read this most unusual and vivid vision you have to wonder what in the world is going on here and what is the significance of this prophet being set down in a valley of dry bones? In order to understand this vision of Ezekiel’s I think we must first understand the context from which Ezekiel speaks.
Ezekiel was part of a priestly family living in Jerusalem. As the Babylonians begin to take control of the area, Ezekiel became part of the first people to be put in exile in Babylon. In exile Ezekiel is called by God to be a prophet, to speak to his fellow exiles - to warn the exiles of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Destruction that will come, God says, because God’s people, the Israelites, have not kept their end of the covenant with God. They have rebelled against God’s ordinances and statutes most notably - they are guilty of idolatry, guilty of worshipping icons and images in the temple.
God tells Ezekiel that those to whom he will speak are “impudent and stubborn” and that “the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Wow! Quite an encouraging pep talk, huh?
Ezekiel prophesies to these hardheaded exiles until ultimately, in the twelfth year of their exile, he receives word that Jerusalem and the temple have fallen. After the fall of everything these exiles once knew, Ezekiel’s prophecies become visions of restoration and salvation. This is the portion of the book of Ezekiel that our reading for this morning falls into. Ezekiel is faced with a community that is confident that God has left them. Faithful Jews no longer worship in the temple and they see no sign of an end to their exile. Ezekiel must respond to the question: Has God abandoned God’s people?
Ezekiel says that the “hand of the Lord came upon him and set him in the middle of a valley – a valley of dry bones – a valley of dry bones that God tells Ezekiel later is the whole house of Israel.
The house of Israel is dry. They have broken their covenant with God, they have been in exile for a number of years and they have lost hope even to the point of saying “our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost.”
Have you ever felt like those to whom Ezekiel speaks? Have you ever felt like your bones are dried up, and your hope is lost? Andrea, the woman who wrote this letter felt that way…
Dear woman behind me in line at the grocery store Andrea says:,
You don't know me. You have no clue what my life has been like since October 1, 2013. You have no clue that my family has gone through the wringer. You have no clue that we have faced unbelievable hardship. You have no clue we have been humiliated, humbled, destitute.
You have no clue I have cried more days than not; that I fight against bitterness taking control of my heart. You have no clue that my husband's pride was shattered. You have no clue my kids have had the worries of an adult on their shoulders. You have no clue their innocence was snatched from them for no good reason. You know none of this.
What you do know is I tried to buy my kids some food and that the EBT machine was down so I couldn't buy that food. I didn't have any cash or my debit card with me. I only had my SNAP card. All you heard was me saying "No, don't hold it for me. My kids are hungry now and I have no other way of paying for this."
Can’t you hear the hopelessness in this woman’s voice? She could be part of those dry bones that Ezekiel has been set down amongst – those exiles who have lost all hope that things will ever be different for them.
But it is this sense of hopelessness that God stamps out in the vision that God gives to Ezekiel, for in this vision even bones dried up and separated from one another are reconnected and revived through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Even in this valley of hopelessness and despair, God’s word, through the prophet Ezekiel, as God tells him to “prophesy to these bones” restores and renews the bones. Even in this valley that shows no sign of life, the breath of God’s Holy Spirit which God tells Ezekiel to gather from the four winds will breathe life where there is none making those bones alive once again.
Through this vision God makes it clear that God has not deserted God’s people and that even in exile, away from the temple, God is still with them and that God will restore the nation of Israel and breathe life back into God’s people.
God will breathe new life into Andrea as well through the woman behind her in the grocery line that day. Andrea continues:
You didn't judge me. You didn't snarl "Maybe you should have less kids." You didn't say "Well, get a job and learn to support yourself." You didn't look away in embarrassment or shame for me. You didn't make any assumptions at all.
What you did was you paid that $17.38 grocery bill for us. You gave my kids bananas, yogurt, apple juice, cheese sticks, and a peach ice tea for me; a rare treat and splurge. That $17.38 may not have been a lot for you, but it was priceless to us. In the car my kids couldn't stop gushing about you; our "angel in disguise." They prayed for you. They prayed you would be blessed. You restored some of our lost faith. One simple and small action changed our lives. You probably have forgotten about us by now, but we haven't forgotten about you. You will forever be a part of us even though we don't even know your name.
Thank you for not judging us. Thank you for giving my kids a snack when they were quite hungry. Thank you. Just thank you.
Forever,
Andrea, the woman in front of you at the grocery store with the cart full of kids who are no longer hungry
Can these bones live? Yes through God’s Spirit pouring out of the lives of others into our lives our bones can live. Even when we feel like we’ve reached the end of our rope. Even when it seems like all hope is lost – God is there to remind us that God is always with us. God didn’t desert the exiles to whom Ezekiel speaks and God doesn’t desert us either. In the midst of hard times such as the death of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, abuse, addiction, chronic disease, or a frightening medical diagnosis we must cling to the promise that is so evident in Ezekiel’s vision. In these bones that are joined together, covered with flesh and rejuvenated to life through the power of God’s word and God’s Holy Spirit – we see evidence of the promise that God is with us always and that no matter what is happening in our lives the Spirit of God is alive and well within us and in the world around us. Amen.