Can these bones live?

Photo by Matt DeBall

By Matt DeBall, coordinator of Donor Communications

“The hand of the LORD came upon me, and… set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones…. [God] said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, you know.’ Then [God] said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.… I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’” (Ezekiel 37:1-5).

Nothing reveals death and destruction more clearly than a large heap of bones. For Ezekiel, this vision represented the destruction of his beloved people—the destruction of God’s chosen nation. Ezekiel must have been horrified and full of despair as he surveyed this valley of death.

Though our circumstances may not be as dire as Ezekiel’s vision, they can sometimes feel very similar. Even without intentionally searching, it’s easy to find decay in our world—in the brutal destruction of human life, in the ever-widening chasm of animosity between opposing groups, and, in general, in the diminishing focus to care for all people. If God asked us if broken forms could be restored, our words might mimic those of Ezekiel—whether of despair (“O Lord, [only] you know [if it’s possible]”) or even disgust (“O Lord, [surely] you know [it isn’t possible]”). What reason could we have to respond differently?

Thankfully, the God who asks the question is also the God who answers it. In Ezekiel’s vision, God instructed him to prophesy to the bones, and in response, God breathed new life into them and regenerated those broken bodies. This was a promise of restoration for Israel, but was it just a vision or a metaphor? Surely such things don’t happen in real life.

As we approach Easter, we remember that God does more than tell wonderful stories. We remember Jesus, the Savior, who became a lifeless bag of bones but did not stay that way. Though the conditions of nature declare that dry bones cannot be re-animated, the Creator and Redeemer of all life is not bound by these principles. What was only a shadow of hope in the vision of Ezekiel is fully realized in the resurrection of Jesus. And what God has done once, God can surely do again.

The resurrection power of God still works today. The new life of Jesus is the new life that we experience in following him. The resurrected body of Jesus is represented each year in the new life of plants and flowers. Though we may not see renewal in all areas and realms of life, God invites us to speak to any pile of bones, declaring God’s promise for restoration.

May we have the courage to accept God’s promise for restoration and declare it to a world full of death and decay. May God once again breathe new life into dry bones.

Learn more about the work of the Church of the Brethren at www.brethren.org or make an Easter gift to the ministries that you love at www.brethren.org/give .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

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