Vital Church, Vital Change Sermon Series
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones
Milwood United Methodist Church
Sunday, September 16, 2012
“The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit and set me down in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were very many bones lying in the valley and they were very dry,” (Ezekiel 37: 1-2).
The dry bones were our churches. There were Baptist and Presbyterian churches, Catholic and United Methodist churches, Lutheran churches and churches of no denomination. For decades the churches had been bleeding members. For decades they had been losing youth. The churches had lost sight of their mission and of their vision. They had become disconnected from the culture around them. They had turned in on themselves and forgotten how to reach out. They had forgotten what it was like to hope.
And their leaders had become anxious. They had become fearful. Their pastors and their bishops had started wringing their hands. Some of the lay people began to fight with one another over minor things—like the color of the carpet, or whether or not there should be screens in their sanctuaries.
All of this had been going on when the Lord brought me into this valley. All this had been going on when the Lord asked me the question, “Mortal, can these dry bones live?” I answered, “O Lord, God, you know,” (Ezekiel 37:3).
That’s when the Lord told me to prophesy to the bones. The Lord commanded me to prophesy to the bones about mission and vision. And I began to prophesy about the mission and vision of the church.
I prophesied about the mission of The United Methodist Church.
“Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world! Make disciples of Jesus Christ so that the world might be changed! Make disciples of Jesus Christ so that the kingdom of God might come on earth as it is in heaven! Make disciples! Change lives! Change the world!
“Forget the mission of the church, and the church will flounder. Forget the mission of the church, and the church will die—its bones will dry up and be scattered in some lonesome valley.
“But if you honor the mission, the church will have direction. If you work toward the mission, the church will grow like vines in a verdant valley.”
I prophesied about the mission of the church. Then I prophesied about vision—the Holy Spirit-inspired vision of what God could and would do through the church. I prophesied about the vision of this little church in Kalamazoo--Milwood United Methodist Church—its vision to be a growing church—its vision to bring people into personal relationship with Jesus Christ—its vision to nurture focused, relevant ministries.
I prophesied about vision and I told the churches, “Without vision, the people will perish. Without vision, the church will die and its bones will be scattered in some barren valley.
“But with vision, the church will do greater things than Christ did. With vision, new things and new ministries will spring forth. With vision, the church will flourish for the good of its community and the world.”
I prophesied about the mission and vision of the church just as the Lord told me to. Then the Lord commanded me to prophesy about faith. And I began to prophesy about faith—“Faith the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” (Heb. 11:1). Faith that if the size of a mustard seed has the power to move mountains, (Mat. 17:20).
I told the churches that faith alone could bring light out of darkness. Faith alone could hold back the tides of despair. Faith alone could make the impossible possible. I prophesied about faith and told the churches to have faith in what God could do.
Then the Lord told me to prophesy about prayer. And I began to prophesy from the words of 2 Chronicles, “Oh if my people who are called by my name would humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then would I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land,” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
“If my people would but pray, I would pour out blessings upon them. If my people would but pray, I would bring them to a land of promise. If my people would but pray for the deepening of their faith and for the growth of their ministry, I would empower them to bring righteousness and peace and joy to all humanity. If my people would but pray, I would honor their prayers.”
I prophesied about prayer until the Lord commanded me to prophesy about change. “Tell the churches,” said the Lord, “that without change there is no growth. Remind them of the words of that great prophet--Isaiah. ‘Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old, I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?’” (Isa 43:18-19). The Lord commanded me to prophesy about change and about the new thing the Lord is doing. And I prophesied as the Lord commanded, and I told the churches that change must come.
Then the Lord said to me, “Mortal, these bones that are our churches, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy to them about hope,” (Ezek 37:11).
The Lord told me to remember to the churches words about hope recorded in the Book of Jeremiah. “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Lord told me to remind the churches of the words of the Book of Proverbs. “Surely there is a future for you and your hope shall not be cut off,” (Proverbs 23:18). I prophesied about hope, and I reminded the churches that we serve a God of hope, and that God’s people shall never be without hope.
I prophesied about hope, and about vision and mission, and about faith and change. The Lord told me to prophesy about all of these things. Then the Lord told me to prophesy to the bones and say, “The Lord will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. The lord will lay sinews on you and will cause flesh to cover you and put breath in you, and you shall live,”(Ezek 37: 5-6).
I prophesied as the Lord commanded. And as I spoke to the dry bones of our churches, “…suddenly, there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But, the Spirit of God was not in them. The power of the Holy Spirit was not in them. There was no breath of the living God within them,” (Ezek 37: 7-8).
That’s when the Lord told me to prophesy to the breath and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live,” (Ezek 37: 9).
And I began to prophesy to the breath as the Lord commanded, and the wind began to blow from the four directions. It was a violent, rushing wind that blew amongst those who lay slain in the valley. And as the wind blew, the Spirit of the Lord entered them—the power of the Holy Ghost entered them--the power of the living God entered them, and they lived, and stood up on their own feet, a vast and mighty multitude, (cf Ezek 37:9-10).
And the multitude began to pray. And their prayers were powerful. Their prayers brought down blessings upon the churches.
The multitude began to do the work to deepen their faith. And their faith was powerful. Their faith brought down blessings upon the churches.
The multitude caught hold of their vision and of the mission of the church. The whole multitude began to speak of bringing people into personal relationship with Christ and deeper connection with each other. The whole multitude began to work and to pray and to dream and to vision about focused relevant ministries that could transform the world. And blessings rained down on the churches.
Then, the whole multitude began to look for and pray for the new thing God was doing amongst them. And the whole multitude heard the Lord’s words of hope,
“I am going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves. I will put my Spirit within you and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken and will act,” (Ezek 37:14).
“And you shall have hope! Prophesy mortals about hope!”
[Member of the Vision Team]
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all…. (Emily Dickinson)
[Young Adult Member]
Happy are those whose hope is in the Lord their God who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. Happy are those whose hope is in the Lord their God. (Psalm 146: 5-7, 5)
[Youth Member]
Hope abides; therefore I abide.
Countless frustrations have not cowed me.
I am still alive, vibrant with life.
The black cloud will disappear,
The morning sun will appear once again
In all its supernal glory.
Hope Abides; therefore I abide. (Sri Chinmoy)
[Pastor Kennetha]
For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from the Lord.
God alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
My mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from God, (Psalm 62: 5-7, 5).
AMEN
This sermon was preached from the first-person perspective. Taking on the role and persona of the prophet, I attempted to maintain in the preaching the poetic cadences of the Ezekiel passage. Because the laity are the primary actors in carrying out the mission of the church, three lay people joined me in ending the sermon with poetry and psalm.
banner image courtesy Michael D. Beckwith / CC