How Dry Our Bones
Sermon
on Ezekiel 37
by:
Tor Kristian Berg
How dry the
bones
that lay in
the dark earth
laid there
by the mourners
The bones
made by
tumor
virus
bacteria
old age
weak hearts
filled lungs
demented
brains
How dry the bones
that lay in the
dark earth
laid there
by warmongers and violence
The bones
made by
fists
knives
spears
canon
landmines
don’t forget
the guns
… the guns
How dry the
bones
that lay in
the dark earth
stood over
by
the grieving
the widow
the widower
the orphan
the … the …
why is there
no word for those who have lost a child
How dry the
bones
laying in
the dark earth
forgotten
the hungry
the naked
the homeless
the incarcerated
the gay
the transgendered
the mentally
unstable
How dry the
bones
laying in
the dark earth
of those buried
with frustration
the alcoholic
the addicted
the suicidal
the one who just
wanted out
How dry the
bones
of those who
stand on the dark earth
just done
the lonely
the broken
the
forgotten
the left out
the
overburdened
the frustrated
the angry
the sad
the
depressed
how dry are
our bones.
+ + +
Ezekiel thought
all of this
as he looked
over the valley
filled with
bones
bones that
have been washed clean
pounded by
the rain
blasted by
the sun
seared by the
wind
How dry and
how dead
Why has God called me here
he thought in
his dream state
can these
live, God asked
I don’t know, he says.
God tells him
to prophesy
To the dead
he thinks to
himself
To these pounded blasted seared bones
Ezekiel
listened and because
there was
nothing else to do
for these
dried up people
there is
nothing else to do
and besides
God called on him
to call on the
Spirit
The Spirit
that swept over the face of the waters
the Spirit
that blew on that ark
the Spirit
that called Abram and Sarai
the Spirit
that Naomi and Ruth followed
the Spirit that
whispered to Elijah in deep silence
the Spirit
that moved Moses to kneel at a bush
the Spirit
that helped the survivors of exile and holocaust
the Spirit
that spoke to Elizabeth and Mary
So Ezekiel convoked
the Spirit as God commanded
even if it
seemed
silly
stupid
useless
embarrassing
Into that death
valley
full of
nothing but
uselessness
Ezekiel said
breathe
And breathe
they did
the sound
was overwhelming
and it was
then that the brokenness
of the world
knew it could no longer rule
For where
there is breath
there is
hope
where there
is hope
there is life
where there
is life
there is
potential
where there
is potential
there is
possibility
of love and
healing and wholeness
God says to you O dry bones
I put my Spirit
within you
you live
and walk on
this soil
you know
that the Lord has spoken
You may enter
the kingdom
you born of
the water and the Spirit
How dry are
our bones
but God
calls
Breathe
