Page 10 - Sojourner Newsletter-Summer 2024 Final1

10 THE SOJOURNER

NATIONAL CHAPLAIN

Ezekiel 37 Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones

1THE HAND of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in
the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2He caused me to pass all around them, and behold, there were very many [human bones] in the open valley;
and lo, they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
[1 Cor 15:35]
4Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the
LORD.’ [John 5:28]
5“Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will make breath enter you so that you may come to life.
6‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and I will put breath in you so
that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [thundering] noise, and behold, a
rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on the bones, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there
was no breath in them.
9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood up
on their feet, an exceedingly great army. [Rev 11:11] Amplified Version

Obviously, this Scripture has been around for millennia. I guess it could simply be a personal thing, but I
don’t know that I have ever heard this scripture used about us, individually. People do not want to worry about
themselves and being reduced to dry bones. I am not sure there is any culture that does not want smooth and
moisturized skin.

As I was looking at this scripture, I began to think about how it would be, to be able to reduce myself to dry
bones. I usually get up, do my morning ablutions, get my coffee, and have my devotions. I put on my noise-
canceling headphones and cancel out the rest of the world. I can put my projection for the day in One Note,
knowing it will change. I listen to Scripture being read and then discussed from a more evangelical source. I
read a daily devotion from a Methodist book of daily prayer. Then I listen to a blog that is going to read
through the Bible in a year chronologically. There is also study and commentary involved. I started last year,
and I will probably go back through next year to see if I can figure out the right formula to have it work out.

My goal is to be simply able to escape, lay myself bare, and just come into the Presence of God, without any
distractions, nothing/nowhere to hide anything. Bones that have been bleached clean, and sanitized. Nothing
can possibly be hidden. We’ve discussed Christ Jesus being like the most powerful light, whereby he can see
every nook and crannies of our being, warts and all. In my first round of chemo, you applied it to a few spots
on your face and it would go out from there and find other cancerous spots. Went from 5 to about 55 spots in 4
weeks.

Ezekiel is asked if the bones can live again. The smart answer is, “Oh Lord, only You know”. The bones
come back together again but with no life in them. Just like Adam in the process of being created by God. God
invoked the Four winds, the Holy Spirit, to breathe life into the static bodies. Just as in creation. Just as at
Pentecost. The roaring wind. The flaming Tongues. The speaking in other’s native tongues.

I have heard ministers preaching about their own churches. I have also heard them speaking of the church
down the street, or across the street. Churches do get stuck in their ways. They grow into a church that only
knows how to navel gaze. We can look at ourselves and lay ourselves bare, or we can indeed do an
introspective look at where we worship. We can look at the spaces around us and see what we must surely be
doing to respond to the Holy Spirit in our community.

Robert T. Davies, III