ROOTED - Saturday, May 23, 2026

Ezekiel 37: 1-6

 1   The 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; it was
full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them,
and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, 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.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over
these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of
the Lord. 5 Thus says the
Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And
I will lay sinews upon 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.”

Reflection: Valley of Dry Bones

Written By:
Pastor Jesse Caro

Even as Ezekiel is a difficult book to understand, we have
mentioned that it is full of images and visions from the Lord. Most of that
imagery I don’t understand… and (despite what they say) neither do “scholars.” Ezekiel’s
visions are vague, bizarre, and will be understood one day. Many of these
images are mysteries yet to be revealed. But the story here of the Valley of
Dry Bones is clear and wonderful. We read here a metaphor of what God does to
the person who has come to Christ… once dead and lost, and at once this person receives
the revitalizing Spirit of God in new birth. This is a glorious vision and my
favorite vision in the Old Testament. Much like yesterday’s reading (heart of
stone turned to flesh), we read today a marvelous analogy of the good news.

What is the condition of the person who is “lost” and does not
know Christ? They are dead! I love the story in the movie, “The Princess
Bride.” The “Man in Black” is dead and Inigo Montoya takes him to “Miracle Max”
(wonderfully played by Billy Crystal). The miracle worker says… “Ahhh, he is
only ‘mostly dead.’” Miracle Max cannot save people who are all dead, but if
they are “mostly dead” then there is hope. I love that scene! Well, in the
spiritual life there is no such category as… “mostly dead.” There is only “dead…”
like “dry-bones-strewn-about-a-valley kind of dead.” God asks the prophet, “can
these bones live…” a silly question except that God knows he is infinitely more
powerful than “Miracle Max.” God can work miracles even of people totally dead!
Miraculously, God shows the bones coming to life, as sinew and flesh enwrap the
bones and God’s breath awakens this newly formed person. Please, dear reader,
understand the divine miracle that has happened to you! You once were
helplessly dead and unable to get up. Unmistakenly, unequivocally DEAD. Then
God came… breathed new life into you, and gave you a new, animated life in Him.
This miraculous thing happened to you ifindeed you are a child of God. I hope
that as you are reminded today, your heart rejoices and you give God glory and
praise for his mercy and grace.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for making us alive from our dead and helpless
state. We give you glory and praise for the things you have done.