I appreciate a good rainstorm . . . especially during the dog days of summer where heat is unbearable, the sky is hazy from all the forest fires, and the air seems suffocating. With one good rain shower the heat breaks, the hazes parts to reveal crystal clear skies, and one feels like he or she can actually breathe . . . breathe fresh air. It changes one’s mood and perspective. You feel better. You feel reinvigorated. You feel energetic. You have hope. Fresh air has that effect on people.
There is power in fresh air . . . in fresh breath. At least that is what I see in our story this morning . . . the valley of the dry bones. The prophet Ezekiel is given a vison from God in which God takes him to a great valley where a battle has taken place. Strewn across the valley are the dry bones of the combatants for as far as the eyes could see. Then God asks the prophet a question: “Son of man, can these bones live?”
Instead of coming right out and saying he had no idea, Ezekiel defers back to God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
Of course, God knows! Immediately God begins to instruct Ezekiel with what needs to be done. God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones . . . and he does. The valley begins to rattle with noise. The bones the bones begin to reconstruct themselves . . . tendons form on the bones, flesh cover the tendons, and skin covered the flesh. But there was no life . . . just bodies lying around. Again, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy, but instead of pointing the words to the bodies he is told to speak to the breath.
God tells him: “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”
And there was life . . . a vast army standing before God and Ezekiel. With a breath of fresh air there is life . . . new life. The key to it all is “breath”. Over and over again in the story God speaks of “breath” as the key to it all . . . especially life.
Of course, God has a point to make with this vision. The vision becomes a metaphor. Ezekiel has been a prophet to God’s people who have been outcast from their homeland . . . captives in a strange land. They have given up hope. They had become “dry bones”. Dry bones can’t live, right? Well, with God, anything is possible. Even dry bones can live with the breath of God.
God tells Ezekiel to tell the people: “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
A breath of fresh makes a difference in how we see ourselves, the world, and God. After all, witness the valley of dry bones.
So you remember the song by Johnny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now? It is about coming out of a storm . . . physical, mental, and spiritual. The lyrics went like this:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
A breath of fresh air.
It makes a difference . . . especially when it is the breath of God.
The story of the valley of dry bones is common guest in the season of Lent. It is shared each year because it represents well the journey and goal of Lent. We enter into the season of Lent to make the journey through this valley of dry bones that represents us. That represents us in our driest periods of life . . . when we feel like dry, lifeless bones. When we feel we are in our darkest places. When we have given up hope. When we feel like we are in those dog days of summer under stifling heat, hazy skies, and suffocating stale air. Kind of like this winter that seems to never end. It represents our hopelessness.
It is through this that we must journey . . . journey to meet our goal. Our goal is to wipe away all that separates us from our God and one another. To re-establish these holy relationships. To build stronger and better relationships. To build God’s kingdom. But in order to do it we have to walk through the valley of dry bones in our lives. We have to go through the storm to get to the other side to receive the breath of fresh air . . . to receive the breath of God. If we can do that then we receive new life . . . discover new hope . . . have new purpose. That is the power of what is approaching us on Easter . . . new life! As God says, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.”
Or as Johnny Nash sings: “I can see clearly now the rain is gone . . .
I can see all obstacles in my way . . . Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.”
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of winter. Tired of shoveling. Tried of scraping. Tired of bundling up. Tried of hearing the heater running. Tired of all the snow. Tired of the darkness. Mother Nature keeps playing tricks . . . dabbles a hint of spring here and there before she dumps a foot of snow over it all. It is frustrating. It is depressing. And, at time it seems hopeless. I guess in a way it is a sort of metaphor for all of us and life.
But the journey is almost complete. The end is coming. We have almost reached our goal. Just a few more days . . . a few more steps. We need to remember that the darkness hours are always before the dawn. The dawn is coming. The storm will end. And once again we will have fresh air . . .
Breathe deeply of the fresh air of God. It has the power to restore and bring new life even to the driest bones. Hang in there. The journey is almost over. God is with us . . . even in the valley of dry bones. The fresh air will be good! Amen!
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