Not much has changed in the past 2,600 years: ruminations of a retired priest
Where do you see piles of dry bones in our world today?
On sidewalks, encampments, tents, arroyos, park benches, storage units and behind dumpsters where displaced people seek shelter every night? In the terrified eyes of children who witness shootings in their schools, communities or homes? In the lives lost and the mutilated bodies of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers and civilians? In the soul crushing injustice, greed and misuse of power rampant in our social, political and religious institutions?
Where do you see piles of dry bones today?
Twenty six hundred years ago the prophet Ezekiel called out the hopelessly lost society of Israel for for shedding the blood of innocents; dishonoring parents, the poor, widows and orphans; adultery; mistreating strangers and aliens; charging tax and interest inequitably; taking brides; extorting neighbors; turning away from God.(Ezekiel 22. 6–12) Not much has changed in the past twenty six hundred years.
Nonetheless, the Lord instructs Ezekiel and us, “Breathe upon these slain, these dry bones, that they may live.” (See Ezekiel text below)
We recoil. “O Lord, suffering and injustice are ubiquitous. It is overwhelming. How can I make a meaningful difference?”
Again, the Lord instructs Ezekiel and us, “Breathe upon these slain, these dry bones, that they may live.”
It was August. It was raining. I was a brand new seminarian, had moved into a tiny flat in Berkeley, California from which I walked to Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Not long after I stepped into the drizzly morning to begin my first trek to Holy Hill I found myself literally stepping over people sleeping on sidewalks, leaning on street signs, panhandling on corners. By the time I arrived at the chapel for my first liturgy and music class my feet were soaked, my heart was sick and I had given away my cash and my lunch. Days two and three proceeded much the same. Seeing only suffering and death, I feared I could not survive three years stumbling across this staggering sea of dry bones so I brought my trepidation to the first meeting with my faculty advisor, The Rev. Dr. Louis Weil.
It turned out one of Louis’ dearest friends and colleague died the night before and so, at our first meeting we were both “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” Much as Jesus wept at the sight of Martha, Mary and the Jews who were weeping for the death of Lazarus, out of love for his friend and the countless people languishing on the streets, we, who were strangers moments ago, wept together. When I told Louis I did not think I could navigate the smell of death and suffering on the streets of Berkeley he offered me this sage instruction. “Pick one street person. Make him your person. Take care of him. That is enough.”
For the next three days I searched the streets between my flat and seminary for my person. Each afternoon as I returned home I passed a Blockbuster store. (You may be old enough to remember the pre-streaming days when movies were delivered on large black plastic VHS cassette tapes rented from Blockbuster — and yes — this did precede the days of DVDs and Red Box. But I digress.)
On each of my daily sojourns I noticed an ageless, wiry man leaning against the street sign just a few feet from the Blockbuster Store entrance. Sitting quietly, asking for nothing, no sign and no tin can, he merely extended his hand when a passerby noticed him. Gentle Greg became my person.
Most days I stopped to see Greg. My meagre offerings of coffee, sandwich, a few dollars eventually opened the way for me to assist him getting an identity card so he could access social services. His gift to me was much more grand. Each time I saw his crinkly blue eyes smile, he breathed the promise of new life into the pile of dry bones that littered Berkeley’s streets. Greg’s eyes showed me hope in the midst of suffering.
Now I am not telling this story to prove I am a good person. I am not that good. I am telling this story to express how great God is. I believe “the hand of the Lord was upon Louis Weil (truly the holiest man I have known), the hand of the Lord was upon him to be a prophet, to speak wisdom to my breaking heart and instruct me to look beyond death and breath life into Berkeley’s valley of dry bones.
Three years later, full of my freshly graduated seminarianness, dying to exercise my God given right to bless, I knelt before Greg and told him I was moving away from Berkeley. Immediately he lifted his oceanic eyes, held nothing back and blessed me. I wept in the presence of the living Christ. In hindsight I suspect God planted Greg on the corner of Shatttuck and Blake to open the eyes of my heart with this blockbuster God moment so that I could breath hope in the midst of the valley of dry bones.
The prophet Ezekiel lived among our Israelite ancestors in exile in Babylon some twenty six hundred years ago. He prophesied to give hope to a hopelessly lost society. The people of Israel were not only invaded and exiled, they were a spiritually dried up valley of bones because they turned away from God by failing to care for one another.
Earlier in the Hebrew text Ezekiel minces no words calling out the lost people of Israel, including the people in power, the priests and ordinary folk; for shedding the blood of innocents; dishonoring parents, the poor, widows and orphans; adultery; mistreating strangers and aliens; taxing and charging interest inequitably; taking brides; extorting neighbors; thus turning away from God. (Ezekiel 22. 6–12)
It seems not much has changed in these 2,600 years. Does that mean humanity is doomed to be a dusty valley of dry bones? That depends on us.
I believe one of the greatest promises of the Hebrew and Christian Testaments is spoken through the lips of Ezekiel on behalf of God.
“O my people, I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live…” right here, right now. And with the Spirit of God planted within us we are able to breath new life into the midst of death.
Where do you see piles of dry bones in our world today?
CALL TO ACTION
Look around, see the piles of dry bones in your neighborhood and the world, choose one person, just one thing that you will do, to breath life into those dry bones. And if your mind tries to trick you into thinking, “I can’t do this,” remember the great promise, the Spirit of God is planted within you to breath new life into the face of death.
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Ezekiel 37.1–14 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath 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 in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, 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 there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, 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.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’
