Lent 5 (A) From Death to Life



Lent 5 (A) From Death to Life

April 5, 1987



The lesson from Ezekiel with the wonderful imagery of the valley of dry bones, having life breathed into them by God, concludes with these words.


I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.


The Israelite’s besting sin was their careless distancing themselves from God. The more removed they made themselves from God, the more their lives fell apart. Now, in their captivity in a foreign land where they worked as slaves, their lives it would seem were without hope. They were like…. dry bones.


Then God raised up Ezekiel to deliver a message to his people.


“Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”  


One of my study bibles tells me that…. that line, “That you will know that I am the Lord,” is repeated 60 times in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel. You will know that I am the Lord in your defeat. You will know that I am the Lord in the power of your enemies, and you will know that I am the Lord in your restoration as a people of God.


We really have only two vital choices to make with our lives. We can either turn our hearts and minds toward God and focus on Him, or we can turn our hearts and minds away from God and focus on something else.


In our baptismal service we speak out that choice with these questions –


Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?


Then – 


Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him, trust Him in His grace and love and promise to follow and obey Him?


We all know what it means to struggle with these two choices. There are times when we have the feeling that God has distanced Himself from us – there are times when we are faced with difficult questions about the meaning of life with no simple answers – there are times when we wonder if its worth the effort. However, in the final analysis, one result is certain. As we distance ourselves from God, our lives are moving the direction of the valley of dry bones.


Over the years in my ministry, I have heard some of these dry bones rattle as I listen to people’s stories. Most of the stories could be categorized under two headings:


  • “Hurtful things I am doing to myself or others.”

Or

  • “Hurtful things someone else is doing to themselves or others or me.”


Why do we do hurtful things? I realize that these are vast differences in individuals and that there is no simplistic answer to that question. I am also ready to refer when the problem seems beyond my training and abilities. But (generally speaking) a lot of the hurtful things we do to ourselves and others spring from a lack of trust in God. when we don’t trust God, we have to trust ourselves – our strength, our intelligence, our position, etc. when any of these things are threatened, we human beings are known to do hurtful things. If we are not sure of God, we look for something else we can be sure of, and the try to protect it. 


I think I have finally figured out what a spiritual counselor does. He or she nurtures a desire to turn one’s life in God’s direction. It is not as easy at it may sound. What you are asking people to do is to let go of something that they have counted on for security, (Even though it causes pain) and turn their lives over to God. Most people that I’ve suggested that to can think of a lot of reasons why that won’t work.


At our Tuesday Clergy Bible Study, David Stunkel told us of one man in a Alcoholic recover group that wanted to be absolutely convinced that putting his trust in a higher being would work. Someone in his group said,


“Instead of trying to think your way into a new way of living, how about trying to live your way into a new way of thinking.”


That new way of living is dramatically portrayed in today’s Gospel. Jesus calls us out as He called Lazarus out of the tomb of dry bones.


All the preacher or the spiritual counselor can do is plant seeds. Accepting or rejecting that sees is a choice each individual makes for themselves. We can choose doubt or faith, despair or hope. 


When Jesus called to Lazarus to come out, I believe he had a choice. As do we.


Listen to Paul:


“But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”


Can these dry bones live? The Lord knows …. they can!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Annual Meeting Epiphany 3 C Going His Way

 Annual Meeting Epiphany 3 C Going His Way January 26, 1992 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell I’ve been a priest for 40 years and I’ve been to my share of annual meetings. To be perfectly honest, I have not particularly enjoyed the responsibility of standing in front of a widely diversified, and in some cases, highly opinionated group of vote packing parishioner who now have the opportunity to talk back. I used to have this nightmarish fantasy that someone would jump up at the meeting and tear into something, or somebody, or me with breath taking precision. It never happened. In forty years, it never happened. But I submit to you that chairing the annual meeting was for me an annual test of my faith. I can see our Lord smiling at me, a teacher of faith, and saying, “Remember: I am with you always… no matter what… even at annual meetings.” The annual meeting, as I remember, with the smallest attendance, was at St. marks in Evanston, Ill. There the Rector insisted that everyone read their r...
Read more

Epiphany 5 (A) Is There a Believer in the House?

Image
Epiphany 5 (A) Is There a Believer in the House? February 8, 1987 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell Have you ever been at a public gathering and heard this announcement: “Is there a doctor in the house?” Usually, hearing that means that someone is experiencing some kind of physical difficulty. We all hope that someone with medical training (a doctor) will emerge out of the crowd and do the necessary and right thing! Perhaps the most important role of the doctor or paramedic is to assume leadership. I am always impressed to see how much influence someone trained and confident in their field commands the respect of any bystanders. Good directions can prevent uninformed “helpful” suggestions, that are not actually helpful. Example: While I was serving at St. Mark’s in Evanston , a lady fainted while on her knees in prayer. Her limp body ended up under three pews. In the process of trying to get help to her, one usher suggested that we slide her body up to the front of the church. And no….no, we...
Read more

Palm Sunday C Irresistible Theology

Image
 Palm Sunday C Irresistible Theology March 19, 1989 By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell The world seems to be caught up in a deadly argument. The greater the commitment to an idea, a cause, or a person; the greater the intensity of energy and power that gets mustered for battle.  A simple appeal for support becomes buglers call to make war. When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians , he was in Rome … in prison. Reports had come to him that two women had quarreled in the church at Philippi . Their argument was endangering the peace. His letter is an appeal to maintain the unity of the church. Not even the healthiest church is immune from the danger of evil’s energy unleashed. If the devil had his way, he would destroy all meaningful and nurturing relationships. In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul identifies three great agents of disunity: There is selfish ambition . Those who instead of trying to advance the work… advance themselves. There is the desire for personal pr...
Read more