“The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’” - Ezekiel 37:1-4

“Mortal, can these bones live?” The prophet Ezekiel lived in exile. He was among those taken captive when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. He was among those who sat and wept on the banks of the rivers of Babylon, who had hung up their harps, whose captors asked for songs and mirth saying “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

It was a painful time for the people of God. Their nation and way of life had been destroyed. Their ability to meet with and worship their God in the Temple was no more. Things were bad and then they became near hopeless. Six months became twelve, and one year followed another until they found themselves two generations removed from all they knew and loved. Their hope for rescue and restoration dimmed. Their memories faded. No doubt some had adapted to their new condition, but this was not their true hope and this was not their home.

God, however, retained for them a dream of a better place - the home promised them through their ancestor Abraham. It is in this context that God speaks to Ezekiel. “Mortal, can these bones live?” Can these faded hopes and dreams be revived? Can these people be restored?

The genius of this dialog between God and Ezekiel comes through when we are invited to overhear the conversation and to peer over Ezekiel’s shoulder and behold what he sees. And then, to speak for ourselves those very words of God. Look around and see what are the bones, the very dry bones of our lives. This past year has been for this faith community a kind of exile. This past year has added the pain of isolation to the many pains most of our bodies already carry. This past year has perhaps stolen precious time from our latter years. “O dry bones [whatever those may be], hear the word of the Lord.”

I wonder how far Ekeziel’s jaw fell open when piece by piece those very dry bones came back to life. I wonder how gobsmacked were those who stood in silence watching the impossible happen. The truth of history is that God did rescue and restore his people. Their old and very dry bones were no obstacle to the grace of God’s word. They returned to their land and rebuilt their beloved Jerusalem and a new Temple. “O Lord God, you know.”

Yes, God does know the longings of our hearts and we should know the faithfulness of God. God knows what has been lost in this past year. God knows the aching of our bones and our souls. God knows that many are tired, lonely, anxious, and grieving. And because God is faithful, our hope in God making all things new should be unfailing. Our bones and the bones of this faith community will live.

Grace and peace,
Fr. Bill+