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David Orendorff  Ezekial 37:1-6, Acts 2:1-4   May 31, 2009

They may not appear to be linked, but Ezekiel’s prophecy of the rising dry bones and Luke’s reporting of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost are very much related to each other and to us.

A bit of history regarding Ezekiel will help us understand. In 597 BCE King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sacked Jerusalem. In order to better occupy the city, he either murdered or took into captivity the leading citizens. This was a common practice of an occupying power. Those Nebuchadnezzar took into captivity he exiled to Babylon as slaves. Ezekiel was deported to Babylon with his father, who was a priest in the temple.

What Nebuchadnezzar did in Jerusalem he did throughout Judea. This period of Jewish history is known as the Exile and lasted roughly until 535 BCE when the temple was restored and the exiles began to come home. The Exile along with the Exodus are the two great formative events of ancient Judaism. Both involve Jewish slaves being set free to return to the land and faith God had promised to them in Abraham and Sara.

Ezekiel’s prophecies fall in three parts. Chapters 1-24 chiefly consist of oracles which define what God’s punishment will be for a people who practice idolatry, even in the temple. Ezekiel compares them to harlots who have sold themselves. God has punished his people by letting Nebuchadnezzar conquer and destroy Jerusalem. And Ezekiel’s words from God are proved true when in 585 BCE the temple is destroyed.

In Chapters 25-32 God instructs Ezekiel to give oracles against various foreign nations for their idolatry and sins. Chapter 33 is a transition chapter. Chapters 34-48 are prophecies of the restoration of the people in the Promised Land.

Our passage falls in this restoration section.

The dry bones are obviously the people living in exile without hope or life. And the question God asks Ezekiel is if these dry bones can live? It is what the people living in slavery for one and then two generations must have asked themselves frequently. Will we survive? Will we or our children ever go home?

Ezekiel’s answer is the only honest answer. He says to God, “O Lord God, you know.” Only God knows what will happen to exiles. If they are to ever go home, it will be God who (as he did in the exodus) will take them home.

Ezekiel’s vision and prophecy of the dry bones has become a metaphor for the oppressed longing for freedom. At the opening of our worship we sang a spiritual based on Ezekiel’s dry bones. Supposedly written as an anatomy lesson for children in the late 19^th century, I think it’s really to remind an enslaved people of Ezekiel’s prophecy to slaves, “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath (or spirit) to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath (spirit) in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

It has been slow, too slow for many of us, but the slaves of our country have gained much of their freedom over the last 150 years, especially in the last 50 years. I and my friends growing up in Oklahoma during the 1950s could not have imagined that we now have a president of the United States who is significantly African-American. Not all of the bones are fully connected or alive, but the author of “Dem Dry Bones” got it right. The word of the Lord is to breathe breath or spirit into dry bones, be they Jewish or African.

The early church was another time of dry bones. Those first followers of Jesus left families, jobs and homes for the good news, and now Jesus is dead. Now living in Jerusalem and under the occupation of a foreign power, they are exiles from Galilee. With Jesus’ death the early followers wonder what their future will be.

And just as the spirit breathed life into the dry bones of the exiles and black slaves, so it breathed life into the followers of Jesus. It was a breath that made it possible for those who did not speak the same language to understand each other. It was the spirit of love which transcends every language with one language. And with this holy breath the church of Jesus is born.

There are more stories from the Bible and life of God breathing life into dry bones, into bones who thought they were dead. It is the story of God acting in history. It is at the core of our faith that no matter the people’s slavery or fear, God breaths the Holy Spirit into dry bones; they knit, form sinew and flesh and become again alive and know that God is Lord.

United Methodism has been going through a time of dry bones. Not that we have been oppressed, but that we have been short on the breath of God in us. Some of those who analyze trends wonder if there is a future for our denomination. Some have even wondered if Bear Creek has seen its glory days and is in a slow drying-and-dying cycle.

I am not one of those. Over the last 7 months of what I called a Time of Discernment for us, I see God not letting these bones dry but continually breathing Holy Spirit into us. I am reminded of a favorite quote from John Wesley’s writings.

God is continually breathing, as it were, upon the soul; and (the) soul of (the one who trusts God) is breathing unto God. Grace is descending into (that one’s) heart; and prayer and praise ascending to heaven: and by this intercourse between God and (the child of God), this fellowship with the Father and the Son, as by a kind of spiritual respiration, the life of God in the soul is sustained; and the child of God grows up, till he comes to the “full measure of the stature of Christ.“[1]

In our time of Discernment God reminded me of the gifts breathed into us. God has breathed spirit into Bear Creek with a passion for spiritual formation lived as life. We have never wanted to be just another congregation that could be confused with a service organization or country club. We have always sought to be a congregation of Jesus’ disciples. We support spiritual weekends such as the Walk to Emmaus, Chrysalis for youth, and Kairos for those in prison, with time, talent and dollars. We send our kids to camp and often go there ourselves. We have a higher percentage of our folks in small groups seeking discipleship through covenant, study and mission than 90% of Christian congregations, not just Methodist congregations, but of any congregation.[2]

When Joan Pierce took some of us to a workshop a few weekends ago, the presenter, Doug Anderson, said the most difficult paradigm shift for most congregations is from making members to making disciples. I looked at our team and knew we had really never had to make this shift. Making disciples is in our Bear Creek DNA from conception. We may forget from time to time why God has called us into being, but forgetting only requires remembering and not a world view shift. In the next year, in the time for action we are now entering, we are going to remember spiritual formation in all that we do. This will be the focus of our renewal.

God has also breathed spirit into Bear Creek with music. We are blessed with musicians beyond all natural probabilities. I have been told that when the first group gathered with Don and Carol Sorenson, the pastors assigned to start a new congregation, it was decided to celebrate communion. It just so happened that of those dozen present several had guitars in their cars and another had a musical liturgy. This is Bear Creek’s first worship and it set the model for all our worship following. Weekly we sing and dine with Jesus even if we have to cancel the sermon. This is as it should be for a congregation called to be disciples of Jesus and not of the current preacher.

Our music has always and will always be in service of God and in love of each other. We have four bands when most churches pray for one. We have not one, but two, of the finest church keyboardists you will ever hear. What a treat it is when they do four hands and four feet on one piano. We have a remarkably talented adult choir that twice a month blesses our worship. This Easter they praised God and resurrection with an emphasis on discipleship singing “Then Came the Morning-an Easter Cantata.” And we have a newly established youth choir that works hard and sounds great, even taking parts. And, more importantly, they radiate the joy of singing for us and with each other.

God has breathed spirit into us by blessing us with people of every possible talent. We have the best contractors, electricians, programmers, managers, bus drivers, teachers, doctors, corporate geniuses. We have it all. God has called together a diverse set of talents for the business of discipling and thus transforming the world.

God has breathed spirit into us by blessing us with people who have a heart for justice and mission. We do mission-O boy, do we do mission. Most weeks I could legitimately give two mission moments. Many churches hope for one mission trip, especially out of a congregation of our size; we have two this summer. And this is in addition to whole long list of local work I don’t have time to go into.

God has breathed spirit into us by blessing us with money. We are blessed that we live in a very financially secure and wealthy area and that we truly have the resources to do whatever we set our minds and hearts to do. The debt we carry on this building would have long ago destroyed most every other congregation. The remarkable and spirit-led generosity of 20% of the congregation finance 80% of our building and operating expenses. Our strong givers are noble and generous. They do not complain about others who could but don’t carry an equal load. They simply focus on God’s gifts to them and on how they can best use those gifts. Without their spirit-filled giving, we would not be.

My list of the breath God breaths into what could be dry bones could go on, but the time to end this sermon has come.

The next time you think you are seeing a valley of dry bones, remember what Ezekiel says: “Thus says the Lord God to these bones; I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” It is true and will guide Bear Creek into this next year as we enter a “Time of Action.”

Shalom and Amen.

[2] This is based on our Natural Church Development survey results.