Hope in despair?

Ezekiel, is one of the prophets of the old testament. The people of Israel are in exile. For people at this time God was tied tightly to the land that they lived in, so being outside of their land meant that they were distant from their God, remember the song By the Rovers of Babylon, it is based on a  psalm, which includes the words “How can we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?”. Another country's army beating them in battle meant that the other nations God was more powerful than the Israelites God. The people felt hopeless, they didn't know if they would survive as a nation. And God brings a vision to Ezekiel. A vision that speaks to the people of Israel on a number of levels.

The vision is of a valley of dry bones. During this time those defeated in battle were often not buried, but left for wild animals, this was another way of humiliating the defeated country.

The nation of Israel had been defeated, humiliated, and is now in exile they wondered what the future held.

I wonder have you ever felt that way, but things are going so badly that you just can't see a future at all. Can you remember a time when you lost all hope?

This is how the people of Israel were feeling. A few times in the last few weeks we've talked about our identity. Where do we find our identity, how do we live out our identity. Today is about how do we hold on to that identity and how do we rediscover it when life has changed so much.

In this vision Ezekiel speaks the bones come rattling together to form a skeleton, and then the sinews and muscles. And Ezekiel sees bodies where once there were bones. But there is still no life.

And God breathes into the bodies, and they come to life. This is similar to the creation story in the second chapter of Genesis where God makes people from dirt and breathes life into them . The breath of God is life-giving. The word for breath is ruach, the same as the word for spirit.

Right through this passage is Ezekiel listens to God, trusts God, speaks the word that God has given to him, and in the process sees new life, new hope for the nation of Israel.

Where are the places we see hopelessness and despair today? I see it in the faces of parents waiting at hospital with a sick child. I see it on the nightly news in the face of people living in war-torn areas. I see it in the body language of people who are stressed and tired. And I see it in the art that comes from children being held in detention centres.

The gospel reading we heard this morning also has images of resurrection. Notice when Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb it is the community who gets to unwrap the grave clothes. And yep, there is probably some smell.

As a community of faith, we are to be like Ezekiel listening for God's word, being open to the vision that God puts before our eyes. And we are to be like the people who unwrapped Lazarus, removing that which stops people from living life to the fullest.

Often I hear, and read, about the decline of the church. There may be less people going to church these days, but there is more to the Christian life than turning up to church on Sunday morning. As the people of God we are people who God has breathed life into.  The Holy Spirit dwells in us, is active in our lives. We are people who see hope when others see despair. We are people who are willing to go out of our way to remove the things that hinder fullness of life.

I sometimes wonder if the church is going back to a similar model to the early church, small groups of people meeting together to learn, to pray, to eat together, to encourage each other. What people noticed about the first disciples was the way they cared for each other and cared for those in the community who were outcasts.

What do people in this community notice about us?

In what ways are we bringing hope to those who are in despair?