Bones

Ezekiel describes his vision in chapter 37, of a valley of dry bones that were not buried, but scattered, picked clean and destroyed. They were dismembered bone chips. There was no skin on those bones for protection. We can't live without skin, it keeps boundaries. It's also a barrier that allows for absorption. Neither was there a spine or backbone. They weren't standing for anything in that dry desert. Muscle was long gone from those bones indicating perhaps, a lack of spiritual strength. And most importantly, there was no breath, or spirit, God's Spirit.

How did this happen? Long before Ezekiel had this vision, God told him to eat 'this book', eat the Word of God. We are consuming all the time - feeding on something. When we feed on God's Word - feast on it, we are nourished. This dead jumble of bones, or army as some commentators call them, had starved themselves to death.

Instead of digesting God's Word, there is the temptation to eat 'bad food' or just fill up on junk food. We have access to plenty of stories, teachings and prophesies in the bible that are true and pertinent to the world we live in today. We live in a devastated world. Where are God's people in these times? We don't ignore the chaos, but believe in resurrection for Egypt, Syria, Japan, Libya, Afganistan, Ivory Coast and the list goes on and on. Ezekiel saw a picture of resurrection power. And this is the kind of power we need today.

Excerpts from Harley's sermon 4.10.11 Ezekiel 37:1-14
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Ways and Means

You might say the Ways and Means Committee gives us a charge in Matthew 28:
          “Go out and train everyone you meet far and near in this way of life.”

When you read an instruction manual, sometimes you might have trouble understanding the next step - it just doesn't make sense, and you wonder, "Did I miss a step?" Or you may have trouble hearing the person giving you instructions over the phone. But it’s very different when you have a person right next to you, in the flesh, going through each step. Here is Jesus who shows us the way, who is The Way.  He is the center.

We are all very different and unique – extremely unique, and God speaks to every one of us, in every different culture. He has a way for us. There are so many possibilities and ideas within cultures throughout the world, but we can watch Jesus because He has A Way. He uses concepts everyone can deal with and understand. For example, He tells stories using water, a rock, a fish, and grain.

Now Jesus says to think of Him as the Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7). And He also tells us how to treat the world – there’s hunger, so take what you have and feed them (Mark 8:5). When people came to try and trap Him and get him into trouble with the law, Jesus said, “Give me a coin.” And there was Caesar, so Jesus said to give Caesar what’s his and to God, what is His (Luke 20:25).

Jesus also said not to get caught up in critiquing the different ways of expression, when He said, “If they’re not against us, they’re for us!” (Mark 9:40)

Beginning this past Wednesday, for 40 days, Christianity denies themselves to try and remember what God did for them. It is the way of love.

This is an excerpt from a sermon dated 3/06/11