April 24, 2025
The time is sometime around 550 BC. The Israelites have been force-marched into exile to Babylon. Far from their home and temple, the people are languishing. They feel like they are dying, quietly succumbing to the foreign culture and their foreign gods.
In this time of despair, the prophet Ezekial has a spiritual vision. In his mind, God takes him to a valley full of dry bones. ‘Can these bones live?’ asks God. ‘O God, only you know!’ (Ezekiel probably knows, but he’s not going to stick his neck out!)
Through a series of powerful visions, Ezekiel realizes that the bones can live. The people can breathe again. The nation can come back to life and flourish.
But the key ingredient is not the people’s animosity to their captors. It is not their desire to be home. It is not even their own initiative. The key ingredient does not come from the people themselves. The key ingredient comes from God.
Ezekiel is told to call on God’s ‘ruach’ (rhu-ok), a Hebrew word that can be translated as both ‘wind’ and ‘breath’, to enter the bones. Ruach is God’s animating force, God’s life-giving Holy Spirit. This is the key ingredient in the nation’s life. Without it they are a valley full of bleached bones. With it, they are a mighty nation.
Last Sunday was Easter Sunday. We celebrated Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. At this time of the year, I frequently find myself asking the ‘so what?’ question. So what that Jesus was raised from the dead? What is that to me?
Jesus is the sign that resurrection is not limited to a single nation. Resurrection is for us as well. By God’s grace, the animating Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead will raise us from the dead, too. And just as importantly, that resurrection doesn’t have to wait until our death. It can happen today, here, now.
Jesus’ resurrection shows us we don’t have to be stuck. We don’t have to be exiles in our own land. The animating Spirit that raised up the Israelites from their exile can raise us up, as well. We don’t have to be captive to a culture of mistrust, hatred, racism and misogyny. We don’t have to submit to oppression, stereotyping or class-warfare. We don’t have to bow down to the gods of lust, explosive anger, drugs or even despair.
In Jesus, we can truly live.
If we will follow the way of Jesus, living lives of self-giving love, we will know true, real, resurrected life. Today.
May God’s ruach fill us all. May we all experience the blessings of Easter.
Pastor Ken.