Sermon for March 9, 2008

“The Lord asked me, “Son of man, Can these bones live?”  I said, “O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.”  Then the Lord said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, Hear the Word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones; I WILL MAKE BREATH ENTER YOU, AND YOU WILL COME TO LIFE!”

     There was an old farmer at the Bible Class of his church and he was describing His Christian life and faith to the class with some very NO-NONSENSE words and a very blunt approach!  Regarding my Christian life and faith, I would like to say, “I’M NOT MAKING MUCH PROGRESS, BUT I’M ESTABLISHED AND I’M SATISFIED  WITH THAT IN MY LIFE!
       A few weeks later on one spring day, the farmer was setting out some logs on his farm, when his wagon sank in a soft place in the mud on the road.  He could not get his wagon out of the mud.  As the farmer sat on top of the logs trying to figure out what to do next, a neighbor walked by and started talking to him.  The neighbor happened to attend the same church as this farmer and was having a difficult time understanding and accepting what the man had said in the Bible Class about his Christian life and faith a few weeks earlier.  He looked at the situation and said, “My friend, I see that you are not making much progress today, but I’m glad to see that you are VERY WELL ESTABLISHED in your life today and ARE YOU SATISFIED?
       At first the farmer became mad and upset about the comment because it seemed too personal especially with the farmer’s predictament of literally being “STUCK IN THE MUD”!  But after some discussion , this comment opened up an opportunity to talk about the meaning of each man’s Christian faith and its application to their everyday life and activities!  It  caused the farmer to  stop and think about the meaning of what he had said and its application to his life!
       At times  people’s Christian faith and lives can become either intentionally or unintentionally “STUCK IN THE MUD”  because there is little or no growth in a person’s faith life!  Or to use the illustration that God gave to Ezekiel in our text from Ezekiel 37, “THEY CAN BECOME LIKE DRY BONES WITHOUT ANY LIFE IN THEM!”  They are there but not really accomplishing very much if anything in their life and do not have many signs of life in their lives!
       Today's Old Testament lesson tells us a story about "DRY & DEAD BONES" and also about the Spirit that will give life to those bones!   The prophet Ezekiel is telling the Children of Israel how God will resurrect them from their GRAVE OF SLAVERY to the Babylonian people.  They were physically alive, but their spirits were dead because of a feeling of hopelessness and being trapped in captivity.
       So God takes Ezekiel to the middle of a valley and there are scattered bones everywhere.  They are dry and have been there for a long time.  These bones symbolize Israel’s apparent hopeless condition while they are in slavery in a foreign land.
       But God also gives a word of hope to HOPELESS AND HELPLESS PEOPLE in Ezekiel 37.  He promises that they will arise and live again. This New life  will only occur by the "WORD OF GOD."  I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND YOU WILL LIVE!" 
      AND THANKS‑ BE TO GOD!  He does the same thing for us in our lives today.  HOW DOES GOD PUT LIFE AND ENERGY AND HOPE AND BREATH INTO OUR LIVES?  He does it by pointing us to the cross of Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again and comes to us today through God’s Word and the Sacraments!
       You and I are very much like the Children of Israel in our text.  We may be saying "I feel so worn out and empty and frustrated and helpless!"  What is wrong with Me?  Why don't I feel better and stronger and more alive in my life instead of feeling like I'm just trying to survive or just going through the motions of my life with no real purpose or goal in my life?  DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE THAT?
       YOU are in school and wonder why I have to study all of these subjects that are boring and that I'm not interested in and will never use in my life.  You say I'll be so happy when I am done with school. But you have not set goals or plans for your life and have forgotten to ask God for help and guidance in your life.  A teenager asks the question, “ WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE?” instead of asking the question, “What does God want me to do with my life?”  Why don’t I have any close friends who I can spend time with, friends who like me and care about me?  DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE THAT TEENAGER?
       Or you may be feeling like your life is plenty busy, but it doesn't seem to have much meaning or fulfillment.  A young mother or Father sighs, “I NEVER HAVE ANY TIME FOR MYSELF!  You feel like all you are doing is collapsing each day and basically trying to survive.  You feel like you are not using all of your talents or gifts that God has given to you AND THAT YOUR LIFE IS ONE OF DRUDGERY AND FRUSTRATION!  Do you ever feel like that?
       You go to work and wonder what you have accomplished and why you are doing your job other than to make some money, to pay the bills and to provide some of the necessities of life. The money seems to run out before the bills do and you feel caught in a never ending circle of trying to provide for your wants and needs!  You have forgotten that God has given you your job in order that you can have time to serve Him and to have Him work in your life to be a blessing to other people.
       Or you may be getting older in life and are not as physically strong as you once were and can't do the things that you used to do as well or as long as you once did.  You feel tired and worn out and never at peace or rested in your life.  You want and need energy and strength and spirit in your life and may have forgotten where to find it.
       God's Word in Ezekiel gives us the reason why we feel like this and also the answer and only true source of life and power and help in our life.  OUR PROBLEM IS THAT WE FAIL TO SEE GOD AS THE SOURCE AND POWER WORKING IN OUR LIFE.  We think we can do everything ourself and do it our way instead of God's way.  People have God in their life for some parts of their life, but have LEFT HIM OUT OF THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.
       There is a part of life that God is in control of and another part that we try to take care of ourselves.  Or else we make the fatal mistake of LEAVING GOD OUT OF OUR LIFE COMPLETELY and don't receive His Spirit which alone can give us power, hope, love, joy and eternal glory.
       As a result we fail to TRUST IN GOD and instead TRUST IN WHAT THE WORLD TELLS US IS IMPORTANT, OR WHAT MAKES US FEEL GOOD OR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY IS IMPORTANT.  We fail to use God's Spirit and Word as the power supply for our life.  God comes to us through His Word, the Bible, through our Baptism, through the Lord's Supper in a person and life‑changing and life‑saving way!
       God isn’t always a God of “ZAPS” He doesn’t just Zap us with answers out of the Bible that don’t have any real meaning in our life!  Instead God applies His Power and Love to us as we take the time to study God’s Word, to spend time in personal and family devotions, through the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion!
       How can we be revitalized from DRY BONES TO LIVING BODIES IN CHRIST?  HEAR THE WORD OF GOD- Do we really listen when the Word of God is read and preached or do we daydream and let our minds wander?  READ THE WORD OF GOD- Why not keep your bibles open in your homes, on the kitchen table, on the night stands by your bed, so that you will become more likely to “TAKE UP AND READ” as God encourages and desires for us to do!
       It is like the Grandmother who died and left her family her well- worn and well read Bible.  “MAKE GOOD USE OF THIS BIBLE- THERE ARE GREAT TREASURES IN IT!”  was her encouragement to her family shortly before she died!  It wasn’t until 5 years later that when someone finally opened the Bible, over $10,000 in $100 bills came fluttering out!
       Now I am not going to promise that this will happen to you!  But the real treasure that the Grandmother was talking about was worth far more than $10,000. I do promise you that the GREATEST treasure the Grandmother was talking about will occur as you receive God’s Word into your life!  God’s Word is the “POWER OF SALVATION FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES!  God’s Word gives us the gift of Eternal life!  It will put spiritual flesh on our bones and give power and joy to our empty life.
       As God tells us, “HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD!  “I WILL MAKE MY BREATH ENTER YOU AND YOU WILL COME TO LIFE! and "I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND YOU WILL LIVE!"