The topic of death is something that makes us feel uncomfortable. It’s not something we want to think is going to happen to us. My mother would say, “Go wash your mouth” when I mentioned the topic of death.
On the GG Bridge, we want to prevent death by suicide so $2 million dollars will be spent just to study erecting a fence. We want to stop death as the result of terrorism with homeland security or death in the world by deploying US soldiers in other countries. As Chinese, we pass out red and white envelopes with candy and coins at funerals so that death would not follow us home. It’s like we are living in a valley of dry bones and we don’t like it here.
In Ezekiel 37, the prophet Ezekiel wasn’t too happy about walking around that bone-filled valley, that field of death. Yet Ezekiel finds that God would not let him escape facing that death. God leads Ezekiel on a guided tour right through the midst of those bones. After a while looking at bones and more bones, the prophet starts to wonder what God was up to. “What does it all mean?” he asks himself. Then God said, “This is the world you live in. It’s a world of death. It’s a world that is out to contaminate you and drag you down.
The time of Ezekiel was when the Israelites were conquered by the Babylonians and the people including Ezekiel were carried away to live out the rest of their lives in Babylon. Yet Babylonian captivity was not too bad at all. They were not forced to live in prisons. They were allowed to marry, own their own homes, and get jobs. Life may not have been perfect, they thought to themselves, but at the same time it wasn’t bad either.
So God made Ezekiel to take a walk through the field of dry dead bones. God wanted Ezekiel and the people to realize that things around them were indeed bad—as bad as being surrounded by piles of dead bones. What made things so bad was that they were living in a world where the people around them did not care about God, where people did not even know about God. Even though they were in captivity, life was good enough to know God.
Doesn’t that sound like us today? It’s not too difficult for us to see the dead bones in the world around us. Corporate bandits stealing everyone’s monies; church leaders abusing children; government officials on trial for corruption; and athletes testing positive on steroids. With all of this going on, we sometimes think, “What do those things have to do with me?” That wasn’t my bank that was involved; we’re Protestants not like those Catholics; I didn’t vote for this political party; or it’s okay for athletes to take those drugs because they are really only entertainers. You see, we don’t think these scandals have anything to do with me.
There was a jet plane bound for the U.S. A short way into the journey, the people on the plane noticed flames coming out of one of the engines. When the pilot was informed, he told the passengers that it was nothing to worry about. But when the passengers continued to express concern, the pilot agreed to put the matter to a vote. Overwhelmingly the people on the plane voted that yes, there was a problem, and they needed to turn around.
I believe that much of the time our attitude is like that of the pilot. Sure, our wing is on fire, but what’s the big deal? After all, it’s only one engine; we still have three more. But like the passengers, we need to realize that, in time, what’s a problem “out there” may very well eventually become a problem over here for us.
Even if our own personal lives might be terrific at the moment, God wants us to see the bones that are all around us. God wants us to see those things in the world that aren’t quite the way they should be. But instead of becoming depressed by what we see, assuming that nothing can be done about those dead bones, God invites us to envision a new future, a future in which God will truly amaze us.
Do we look for God to amaze us? Do we look for God to take the old dead, dry bones of this world and breathe new life into them? What are the dead bones you see in your life? What are those things that aren’t the way they ought to be? What are the dead bones you see in the world around us?
If we listen to ourselves, the only message we hear from inside us is: “Cope. Just learn to cope with the bones. Get used to them.” But if we listen to God in this Lenten season, God’s message isn’t “Cope.” It’s “Hope.” Hope that things can be different. Hope that things will be different. That’s the promise we have from God.
Let us pray.
O Lord, like dry bones, we want to live. We dedicate our lives to you and invite you to breathe your life-giving Spirit in us. Breathe into the lives of those who are touched by our sacrifice and service, that they may trust you. As we look forward to the resurrection of Christ, lead us to new life. Amen.