Do you know the story about Ezekiel and the dry bones? The Spirit of God showed Ezekiel a vast valley full of dry bones. Then God asked Ezekiel if he thought the bones could live. Ezekiel answers as we would, “Only you know God.” But God told Ezekiel to speak life to those dry bones, “let them hear the word of the Lord.” The present valley we find ourselves in isn’t different from Ezekiel’s valley. Our dry bones are dislocation, despair, and fear. Our dry bones are family dynamics that siphon off joy. Our dry bones are broken social systems that fatten the few and starve the many. Speak, God told Ezekiel. Speak life to the dead things. Not condemnation, life. Speak God’s preferred reality. We believe that God’s word has generative properties. We believe that God’s word breathed on us and then by us makes a difference, especially in troubling times and circumstances. So speak life, especially when it seems ridiculous, and wait for the bones to rattle. Chin-up, wash your hands, take care of one another and be encouraged!
A weekly conversation focused on the intersections of life and faith.
