March 13, 2005
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
“Can These Bones Live?”
1. In the spring of 1972, fresh out of seminary I arrived for a meeting at Wesley Methodist Church in St. Paul. It was a meeting to announce my appointment to that church.
As such meetings go in the Methodist system; it was already a “done deal” as they say. The District Superintendent, Paul Metzger, was actually in a bit of a hurry to get things over with since this was not a big important church and I was just a first year minister so he made pretty short work of it. This is who you get … any questions? That is pretty much what he said.
Like many small churches the folks there had seen ministers come and go. In fact, I think they had had a different minister every year or two for the last four years. Thing were not going well at this small church and the DS wanted to merge them with another church and they didn’t want to … and so there was some tension in the air.
“Any questions?” He asked again. I don’t remember much of what was said, but I do remember one man asking if I would “preach the Bible.”
2. Preach the Bible? Now that is a familiar statement we hear from time to time. It is something everyone sort of understands and yet if we really get down to it … it’s rather vague. What does it mean to “preach the Bible?”
I suppose it means, in the best sense of the word, to preach about God as God is revealed in the Old and New Testaments. At least to start there … before going off on what is or isn’t wrong with the world and what we should or should not being doing about it.
Sometimes people will say … “Preach the Gospel.” Which really means to preach about God and how God’s word is revealed in Jesus Christ.
But how to do it? That is the question. How do we preach God’s word? Especially in the complex world we live in … and especially today when there is considerable disagreement about what God’s Word is for us today … and what it means to be a Christian – especially when we try to deal with some of the controversial issues which confront the church today.
In short, what does it mean to preach God’s word in church on Sunday? And what does it mean, for you, to be hearers of God’s word on Sunday.
3. As Protestants and as friends and members of this Methodist Church we supposed to believe that we ought somehow to “hear” God’s word on Sunday. Isn’t that right? And that it ought to be in the form of a sermon which is preached from Scripture and which interprets that Scripture in such a way that it makes sense not just in biblical times but also for us in today’s world.
This idea really began with the Reformation in 1500.
These last several weeks we have been watching a very dramatic movie rendition of the life of Martin Luther during our mid-week faith discussion group.
Of particular importance in the film is the fact that Luther’s argument with the Medieval Church was based, ultimately, on scripture not on the authority of the Church. So Luther set in motion the idea that the laity (meaning the person in the pew) should hear the word of God preached from scripture every Sunday. And we are still doing it. And, in fact, since I follow the lectionary of assigned readings, I preach from a different text every Sunday. It keeps me on my toes and provides you with a wide variety of scripture readings throughout the three year A-B-C cycle. (We are in cycle A) I might not ever, for instance, preach on Ezekiel if it were not for the lectionary.
And so for Protestants the idea of hearing the word of God preached during Sunday worship became a kind of “sacrament” along with Holy Communion.
4. Wait, did I say “sacrament?” Last week, you remember, we celebrated Communion and I spoke about the importance of experiencing God’s presence in and through the physical world – which is symbolized by the sacrament of bread and grape juice. And I read the words from Psalm 31 - “Oh Taste and See” to encourage you to understand that the spiritual realities of God’s presence can be encountered in the material world even though God is not literally discernable to the five senses of sight, sound, touch, smell etc.
So, also, one of the other ways we encounter God is in “hearing” His word.
For just as we are called “to taste and see” God through the sacrament of communion we are also called to “hear” God in the reading of Scripture and in hearing the sermon preached.
This of course, presents a challenge, of sorts, for me as the preacher of the word and for you as the hearer of the word … for … in order to “hear” the word of God we have to willing to open our hearts and minds and to use our imagination. However, if we can do this … then somehow through the mystery of the Holy Spirit -- at some point in the sermon it will no longer be I who you hear … but God. God, will actually be speaking His word to you in your hearts and minds.
At least that is what Martin Luther believed and intended to happen
And, as far as I know, that is what John Wesley believed as well.
In other words, for God to be able to speak to us … in most cases it must be done through the words spoken by another human being who has first encountered God’s word in the reading of the scripture or through personal inspiration – or both.
5. This understanding of the importance of the sermon as the word of God which I must preach and you must hear places the responsibility on all of us to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit as God’s word is proclaimed. In other words, God must work through us … it’s that simple.
John Wesley summed it up this way:
Without God, we cannot
Without us, God will not.
“Without us, God will not.”
In other words, God needs us to speak for him. This matter of speaking for God, in the biblical sense, is called “prophecy.” Yet, the word prophecy is often misunderstood or confused with different definitions. So here is a little quiz. A prophet can be interpreted to mean:
1. A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of God is expressed.
2. A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.
3. A predictor; a soothsayer.
4. The chief spokesperson of a movement or cause.
All of the above?
Well, quite often, the biblical prophets are thought to be those who can predict the future. Like Jean Dixon and Nostrodamus and the kind of things you see in the tabloids at the check out line in the supermarket. When, for the most part, the major importance of the biblical prophets is because they were persons who expressed the will of God. So, we may say, that while not all preaching is “prophetic,” there is an element of prophecy involved. For, if we really can hear Him, God is always at work in, under, and through the sermon and the scripture. We really are here this morning to hear and understand what God’s will is for our lives – isn’t that right?
6. Now suppose, for a moment, you were God and you wanted to speak to the people of Israel? How would you do it?
Well, according to the Bible, you would call upon certain individuals (or prophets) to be your mouthpiece. And you would ordain them by giving them particular insights, visions, and gifts. In other words you would “choose” them to speak for you.
And suppose your people Israel had not been faithful to you … and had trusted too much in their own doing … and played too much politics and now were in big trouble. And because of their unfaithfulness and lack of trust … the big bad Babylonians had come and destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and even dragged off many Israelites and made them slaves in Babylon.
And now your chosen people … whom you led out of Egypt … and who were descendents of Abraham … were in despair- big time! So much despair that they were thinking that maybe you had died.
Oh yes, the “death of God” was not invented by Nietzsche in the 19th century. Back 500 years before Jesus the Jews pretty much believed that God could only be worshipped in the Temple in Jerusalem. And now they were very concerned because if Temple had been destroyed then perhaps Yahweh was destroyed as well.
7. Sound a little strange? Well, that was the way it was in biblical times. When another nation defeated you - it meant that your God was ineffective. And if that happened, you might as well call it quits and worship the god of that more powerful nation (in this case Marduk – the Babylonian God). And many Jews were tempted to do just that.
Now if you think that kind of Old Testament thinking is pretty out of date … consider some of the thoughts expressed more recently when the world trade center was blown to bits … and people asked “how could God – the God of American Christians – allow that to happen?” Or, even more recently when the Tsunami disaster occurred in SE Asia and quite a few well known religious leaders got up and prophesied a whole of nonsense --- all in the name of God, of course.
I have actually read a number of accounts from some Christian leaders in this country all the way to Moslem clerics around the world all who more or less said …that God was actually punishing people for their immorality or lack of faith or whatever. Having said it, many of them later regretted it, as it turns out. The caveat being: “If you are going to be a prophet you better check with God first, before you open your big mouth and get yourself into trouble.” Well, everyone, it seems wants to speak for God – it’s a real temptation - especially for clergy. And that’s where we have to discern carefully between what God is really saying and our personal own opinions.
After all, a prophet’s calling is not to a life that will make one wealthy or even admired. In addition, the prophet speaks not because he wants to but because he really has no choice regardless of the circumstances – for God has called him. The prophet is literally compelled to speak because he feels God’s presence so intensely. The prophet is the one person among his people who speaks because God has spoken to him first. Moreover the prophet is one who sees visions, hears voices, and dreams dreams. The prophet is the one who can say without equivocation:
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth of the month - it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin- 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him. (Ezekiel – Chapter One)
8. Now, it is also true that some calamities are the result of our own doing.
And, in the words of Ezekiel … that is what happened in Israel at the time of the Babylonian exile.
Or, at least that was the way God saw it … but it was not the way many of the Israelites understood it … for they saw that they had done no wrong. Not my fault! They said. It’s God’s fault!
Isn’t that the way it is … sometimes? One of our first reactions is to blame it on God. Or - to question whether there is a God.
That’s what was on the Israelites mind – that either:
a. God lied to Sarah and Abraham. In other words - God’s promise was a mistake.
Or b. God died in the Temple when it was destroyed in Jerusalem.
God either lied or died!
9. Now, this was 500 years before Jesus and 2,500 years ago … and yet, are not the reactions of the Israelites pretty much the way people react today? Think about it. How do WE react in the face of disaster?
Several years ago I went to some training for the United Methodist Disaster Response team volunteers. What I learned is that the first thing that must be done in a flood, tornado, fire … earthquake … is to make things safe … treat the injuries … provide food, clothing, shelter … things like that …
But, over and over again, it was stressed that after the initial rescue efforts are over - one of the biggest jobs of disaster volunteers is to listen … to listen to the stories … to listen to the pain … for it seems that people are more than flesh and blood and bone … they also have emotions … they have minds … they are spiritual entities … and they have to make sense out of what happens to them … in order to heal … and to go on … and in order to make sense of things they need to talk about it – and they need to know someone cares – especially God.
10. Why did this happen? Where is God? What did I do to deserve this? What am I going to do? Does anybody care? Is there a future?
In the face of trauma, all kinds of thoughts run together … emotions are confused … and there is sorrow and hope … and anger … and denial … and disbelief … and this is the way it was for the Israelites in Babylon – and for Ezekiel as well. And, it can happen to anyone of us, as well.
Quite a few years ago, one morning while I was still asleep … the phone rang … long distance from Seattle … it was a Lutheran Pastor … a good friend of mine … he was calling to tell me that his daughter had just died … of leukemia … because the bone marrow transplant had failed …
He was in trauma … and he needed to talk to someone … I was one of his closest friends … there was nothing I could do but listen …
It had been a long ordeal … a number of years … of remission … and then it came back … she was only about 30 years old … in fact I had even donated my own white cells to keep her alive … and they joked that she was starting to look like me … but now it was over … because the treatment had not worked …
11. What do you say in a situation like this …? What does God say?
What does God say to the people of God … the Israelites … now that they have been defeated in war … their culture destroyed … and they are going off to slavery … What will become of them? … what will become of God …?
What will God do?
Well, God will speak … first to Ezekiel … who will be called by God in a powerful vision … and Ezekiel will see even more visions … and God will take him to the Valley of the Dead … and he will ask Ezekiel … “Can these bones live ...? And Ezekiel won’t know what to say … because Ezekiel is only a man … not God …(but Ezekiel does know when to keep his mouth shut when he doesn’t know what he is talking about) … and so he says … “O Lord, God, you know…”
So, God speaks … and he tells Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones … and they come together … foot bone connected to the ankle bone, ankle bone connected to the leg bone, and so on … all this in a powerful vision which God has given him …
12. But, even that is not enough … for without breath … without the spirit … there still is no life … for the body must have a soul … and the soul is from God … and so we must have the spirit … to be alive … and again Ezekiel prophecies for God … and now the people live again …
And the Lord … says … these bones are the whole house of Israel … and so I will put my Spirit within you … and you shall live … and I will place you in your own land … and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken … AMEN!
And so, the people of Israel did not die in captivity in Babylon … which is what should have happened. And the Israelites heard God speaking through the prophet Ezekiel and they were “revived” … and to their surprise … the God of Abraham did not abandon them but went with them into exile. For God, they discovered, was not limited by the physical place of the Temple … or even the land of Israel and so, in time they returned in body and spirit to the land God had promised and rebuilt the temple. The dry bones came back to life again – just as Ezekiel had seen in his vision.
13. Now we don’t have to be defeated in war like the Israelites, or have our communities destroyed by fire or earthquakes or Tsunamis … or even to lose a loved one in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center … to identify with persons who suffer trauma … and loss …
Perhaps everyone here has lost a loved one … many have suffered illness and accidents … had disasters happen to their marriages … and personal relationships … or been in a job that was going no place …
Almost everyone has felt at one time or another … like life was not worth living … that God was some place far away or no where at all. Just like the Israelites in Babylon – and all of us need to hear the word of the Lord in times like that – don’t we?
And not just individuals but groups of people, organizations, churches, communities can sink into despair and lethargy … and act just like the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision. Can’t they?
In fact, a person who was trying and failing to motivate some people in one particularly uninspired organization said, “It feels like reviving the dead would be easy … it’s reviving the living that is the really hard part!”
14. Reviving the living … that is why we here today … to put some life back into our dry bones … to connect the various parts … and rise up out of our despair … our disillusionment … our weariness … our lack of enthusiasm for living … our doubt and lukewarm faith in God … and walk tall … and be alive in the spirit …
For God’s promises are not deceptions … nor is God dead … nor did the Israelites give up … once they knew that God was with them in captivity … and they knew God was with them because they heard the word of God speaking to them through Ezekiel, the prophet.
And that is our message today. The God has not lied to us … and has not died, but goes with us wherever we are and no matter what the circumstance.
And now for the rest of the story … about my pastor friend whose daughter died of leukemia … for it seems that she had also had a child prior to her disease … which had been put up for adoption … and was never heard from again. A double bad ending to their loss – we might say.
And fifteen or twenty years passed … and another phone call came in the evening … not to me … but to this now retired pastor and his wife … and it was the granddaughter … and they were reunited … and they invited her to meet the rest of the family … for absolutely no one had known about this before …
And there as they watched her at the family gathering … it suddenly appeared to them that from a certain direction she even looked like their daughter Jean Marie …who had suddenly come back to life again!
Do miracles happen? Do the dead come back to life? Sometimes, but not always – I guess. Who can explain it? Who knows the ways of God? All we do know is that when we hear the word of God calling us … “our old bones gonna get up and walk around.”
