"Them bones, them bones, them dry bones....Now hear the word of the Lord!"
As I listened to Sunday's sermon I couldn't help but think of the old song that I used to sing as a child. "The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone..." and on it went. Little did I think about the significance of the lyrics as I giggled my way through the skeletal connections!
Yet, as we heard the words of Ezekiel 37:1-14 [1] in the Old Testament Lesson, this old song came to life in a new way. The dry bones that the prophet Ezekiel confronted, scattered across the valley, were a reflection of the hopelessness, emptiness and isolation that the people of Israel felt in exile, cut off from one another and so they believed, from God. Their hope was as dead and dry as the bones scattered about. God's promise to them seemed distant and meaningless.
Read:
- Ezekiel 37:1-14 [2]
Consider:
- Have you or someone close to you ever felt such emptiness and hopelessness?
- What were the circumstances that resulted in this overwhelming feeling?
Grow
Theme: Ancient rhythm...Nurturing Intimacy with God -Mysterious Action
During the weeks of Lent we have been exploring the theme of growing closer to God. This week we examine the experience of suffering and isolation, and God's mysterious way of responding to our needs.
In Sunday's sermon Intern Ben Cieslik related the Bible readings to the experiences of the Jews during the holocaust. He spoke of how Elie Wiesel, author of the book, Night, described his experience in the concentration camp. He told of his isolation, hopelessness and sense that God had abandoned him and all those who suffered with him. Yet, just as God breathed new life into the bones that confronted Ezekiel, so too, God did not abandon the Jews in their suffering. He sustained in their agony.
In Psalm 130:1-8 [3] we hear the agony of the psalmist as he writes, "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!" So often when we are struggling we pray to God for help and then question whether or not he is listening. Just as the psalmist, we say, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope"
Read:
- Psalm 130:1-8 [4]
- sermon [4]
Consider:
- Why does God allow us to suffer?
- What is his promise to us during times of trial?
- How does God's spirit sustain us through times of suffering and isolation?
Close
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, strength to me impart,
And make me love you as I ought to love.