Dem Dry Bones

In chapter 37 of Ezekiel, we encounter our friend Ezekiel in  a valley of bones.  While there, the voice of God inquires of Ezekiel, "Mortal, can these bones live?"  His response, "O Lord God, you know."  Then, the voice of God instructs Ezekiel to tell the bones to, "...hear the word of the LORD." So, Ezekiel obeys and speaks the words of God into these dried up bones and after a bit of commotion,  Ezekiel is standing face to face with a multitude of beings completely reformed.

But that's not the end of the story!  God explains to Ezekiel the analogy of the dried up bones with the children of Israel, and just like these bones, God will breathe new life into them as a nation.

"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..."

What a great message of hope for us in the Lenten season.


One of my favorite tv shows is, "Bones."  If you are not familiar with the show, it is based loosely on the  life and writings of novelist and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reich.  The show follows Temperance Brennan, or "Bones," a Forensic Anthropologist from the Smithsonian that also works as a consultant for the FBI with her partner, Sealey Boothe.   Throughout the show, Boothe, Bones, and the rest to the team from the Smithsonian are repeatedly called upon to assist in solving murders or missing person cases in which the remains are so badly damaged that no other resources will suffice.  Upon her arrival at the crime scene, Bones can in a matter of seconds tell you age, sex, and ethnicity just from a quick gander at the skeletal structure.


Our bones and teeth tell everything about us!  In National Geographic,  an article entitled, "Lost Tribes of the Green Sahara" describes how archaeologists unearthed  roughly 200 graves near a vanished lake that indicated the Sahara was once a fertile area.  The skeletons buried there disclosed amazing information about 2 groups of people who had lived at least 1000 years apart.  The bones and teeth from the unearthed graves revealed sex, age, general health, diet, diseases, injuries and habits of the deceased.  The size and condition of the bones even gave clues to lifestyles, work, and living conditions of the inhabitants.

The point is this...

What would an analysis of our spiritual bones indicate this Lenten season?  If "Bones" were to somehow be able to examine our spiritual bones, what would they reveal?  Would our spiritual bones show a deficiency of a substantial diet of study, reflection, prayer, and a meaningful relationship with our Creator?  Or, maybe we are more like the dried up bones in the valley with Ezekiel and we need God to breath God's life-giving breathe into us.

As we continue through our Lenten Journey, examine your spiritual bones.  What words do we need to hear for our life today?  How can we open ourselves yup to that living breath of God?