Today’s author is Prince of Peace’s Intentional Interim Pastor, Steve Sylvester.
Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14
“Prophesy to these bones…” In Ezekiel’s dry bones story, four times God tells the prophet to prophesy, to speak to the bones. And it’s not just that the prophet prophesies to the bones, telling them what God will do for them. Ezekiel even prophesies to the breath of God, calling it from the four winds to breathe upon the bones that they may live. It’s as if the midwife is giving birth along with the mother instead of simply coaxing the baby out.
We know we play a role in God’s good creation. We are to be stewards of the earth and its creatures, faithful caretakers of what belongs to the master. We are to be evangelists, proclaimers of the Good News of Christ that is entrusted to us. We are to be lovers of our neighbor, paying special attention to those who are excluded or who live on the margins. But the dry bones story seems to suggest even more, that we call the goodness of God into the world to give life where there is death.
There’s a lot of death out there these days, and sometimes I’m not sure what it means to prophesy to it. It certainly means standing up to injustice, as we are called to do when our Somali sisters and brothers are called garbage. It means caring in all the small and unseen ways, ways in which sometimes not even the recipients of our care understand or are aware. It means being kind and truthful and compassionate, especially when we don’t want to be any of the three. We can see these things as “following the rules” or “being a good person,” but in reality, these things and more are calling the breath of God from the four winds to give life.
The next time you wonder whether you should “do something,” whether you should speak out against an inequity or extend a loving hand to an opponent, think about what God tells the prophet: “Prophesy.” Not to overburden you, but think about calling the breath of God from the four winds. Maybe even give a quick nod north, south, east and west. Think about how astounding it is that God calls you not just to care for what is already here, but actually to bring into the world a new thing, a new life. It’s astounding, really astounding. So, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal.”