Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely. (Ezek. 37:11)

            This is how the people of Israel were feeling many years ago, as they languished in exile in Babylon.  They felt as if they would never see their homeland again, and they would never see another king from the line of David.  They felt as if God had completely forgotten them.  All hope had been lost.

            It is in the midst of this despair that Ezekiel is taken to the valley of the dry bones, and is instructed by God to prophesy to the bones.  You see, even though no human being would ever imagine that a bunch of dry bones could come back to life, God has no such limitations.  And so, Ezekiel prophesies to the bones, which soon come together to form the bodies of human beings.

            However, they are still dead.  There is no breath in them.  And so, Ezekiel is told once again to prophesy – to the wind, to the breath, to the spirit of God – and the breath comes into the bodies, and they are able to stand up and live.  This is the power of God – especially when all hope seems to be lost.

            In the New Testament, we hear the story of Lazarus, who has not yet become dry bones, but who has been dead for four days (Jn. 11).  According to Jewish belief, his spirit was no longer there after this amount of time.  However, once again we discover that this poses no problem where the power of God is at work.  And so, Jesus prays, and then commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb, which he does.  This is the power of God.

            Of course, at Easter we hear about a different kind of resurrection – one where Jesus does not simply come back to life, but is the first to be raised from the dead and to have his body transformed into a resurrection body.  He does not die again like Lazarus did.  Rather, Jesus has died once for all people, in order to take away the power of sin and death.  This is the power of God – the power that is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

            While the disciples of Jesus also may have lost hope, the valley of dry bones provides the starkest image.  In fact, it is an image that may well describe the feelings of many people today – about Covid, or about the war in Ukraine, or even about the world in general.  It is easy to slip into hopelessness – particularly when it seems as though nothing is changing for the better.

            The thing is, though, that God has not gone anywhere.  The power of God to bring new life and resurrection has not disappeared.  In fact, it has often been when things seem to be the darkest that God has shown up in new and surprising ways. – Like when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt;  Like when the exiles had been in Babylon for 70 years; Like when Jesus, the Saviour, the Son of God, had been crucified, died, and laid in a tomb.

            While we might lose faith or lose hope, God does not.  Our God continues to be the one who creates, and who gives life, even in the valley of the shadow of death.  In fact, God’s promise to the people through Ezekiel still stands: “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live” (37:14).  May all of us experience the power of God at work this Easter, renewing us in the Holy Spirit and giving us hope, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

            In Christ,

            Pastor Lynne Hutchison