"Dusty Attic Days"

Ezekiel 37:1-14
John 11:1-45

Those who have been plodding along through the Old Testament with me in Disciple Bible Study have gotten used to the darkness and despair the Israelites faced in their journey to the Promised Land and then later as they moved into exile after being overtaken by the Assyrians in the North and the Babylonians in the South.  The people were living in a time in which they were not certain they could ever again feel joyful and hopeful.

And yet in this 37th chapter of Ezekiel, we receive the words that Israel will be restored.
"Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.  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.

We also have in the gospel account by John an amazing recounting of Lazarus being resurrected from the dead.
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

What do we make of these miraculous events? What is their message for us today?  Perhaps it is important that we take stock of what it means to believe completely in the word of God.  It is important to take a deep breath and understand that God can breathe resurrection life into any part of our lives we consider beyond saving.  Perhaps we can't raise our loved ones from the tomb in the miraculous way Jesus does with his beloved friend Lazarus. Perhaps we can't go into a field of bones and make them come alive again, but we can breathe new life into old ways of being.

This week is one week until Palm Sunday when Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem on the donkey, praised and lauded and celebrated, just days before he ends up hanging on a cross mocked and spat upon.  Life is full of strange twists and turns. Life is full of vibrancy one minute and then stopped dead in its tracks the next. We can never be sure what will kill our dreams and what will save them.

This Sunday, as we read about Ezekiel's Valley of Dry Bones and Lazarus' resurrection from the dead, perhaps we should reflect on what we have let die in our own faith journey. What have we let fizzle out, burn out, blow out that God might love resurrecting?  Holy Communion will be a wonderful part of this reflective time on Sunday.  What better way to renew and revive and perhaps resurrect in a new way the old faith we once knew and loved?  Bring with you to the table of grace the childlike love of God and faith in the goodness of the world that you once had.  Ask Jesus in the holy meal to breathe new life into your fading faith. Ask Jesus to help you walk with him down the road to the cross. Ask Jesus to nail your darkness to the cross and to help you raise yourself up into a new creation for God's kingdom on Easter this year.

This week we celebrate the dusty old things we have in our attics, basements, or crawl spaces. Find something you once loved that is hanging out gathering dust and bring it in to our altar space.  May these items collecting dust, but suddenly displayed once again remind us of our own dust-collecting hearts that need a dose of God's grace and perhaps a little nudge to get us moving into being God's people once again.

Thoughts? Email me or comment below.