The Breath of God
Robyn Black • April 22, 2020
All you need is my breath...
Ezekiel 37:1-14, 29th March, 2020 (all scripture NIV)
One of the things that’s unusual for Australian culture is to see people in masks. I went shopping on Wednesday and the Big W workers had masks and gloves on. We have friends who are cleaners…they have custom made masks with teddy bears on them (pretty cute!). It’s a culture shock. Mostly we stopped wearing masks when we were 10 years old, when we stopped believing we were actually Spider Man or Zoro or Catwoman!
I completely understand the need for masks. It’s all about breath and the power of breath. We all know that Coronavirus can be spread through coughing and that’s why we have to stand so far apart from each other.
Breathe is a powerful image used in the Bible. The Hebrew word for breath ‘ruach’, is also translated as the power or wind of the Holy Spirit. And our reading today speaks of the breath of God.
Today’s reading is set in a desperate situation. The year was approximately 585 BC and both the nations of Israel and Judah had been defeated and oppressed. Ezekiel was in the group taken to Babylon and they heard that the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed and the temple was in ruins. All hope seemed lost.
They had lost all the things that gave them an identity as the people of God. They were without the temple which they believed held the presence of God. They were without a King who they believed they needed to fight for them, and they were without the land that God had promised to them through Abraham.
In our present circumstances the Church has lost many things that have given us identity as the people of God. The sacred rites of Holy Communion and Baptism are on hold for now. The gathering together to pray and sing are on hold for now. Ministering to the community is largely on hold for now. All the things that helped define us as ‘God’s people’ have been taken away.
And the community itself has lost many things it took for granted and gave a sense of identity and belonging…going to the gym, having a drink at the pub, gathering for coffee at the local café, going to craft group. These are tough times and for many there is a growing sense of disquiet and panic.
It was the same for the Israelites, and God had a message for them that is as relevant today as it was then.
Ezekiel 37:1 “The hand of the Lord was on me…”
This is the only place to be in a crisis. We can try to go it alone, but why would we? The truth is that God is with us, and his hand is on you. He wants to communicate with you, and he wants to show you the way He sees things. We have to do whatever it is, to put ourself in a place to hear God’s voice. Take time. Take time today. Seek God.
Ezekiel had a visions and found himself in valley surrounded by bones. Lots and lots of dry, sun-bleached bones. It was evidence of lives long gone, the remains of lives once full of vitality and purpose. What had happened here? Obviously some sort of awful tragedy.
God asked Ezekiel ‘…can these bones live again?’ (Ezekiel 27:3)
I’d call this ‘God’s rhetorical question!’ That’s the question you ask when you don’t really want an answer or when the answer is so obvious it doesn’t require a reply! Can the bones come to life again??? The answer seems SO obvious. No, God, these bones are part of a past that can never live again!
You and I know this feeling. We see something that once used to be a thriving Corps or church, we see a generation raised in the church who have abandoned organised religion. We say in our heart, can your church ever live and thrive again God? Will there be a time when people find life and hope in you again??? Will the lost generations seek you again???
Ezekiel was a lot wiser than me (of course!) and when God asked if the dry bones could live again, he very diplomatically said “.Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37:3). That’s a great answer! Note he didn’t say ‘yes’ and he didn’t say ‘no’. Ezekiel could have been a politician!
Ezekiel 37:4, “Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them…”. Two things again to note – 1. Ezekiel heard from God, and 2. God asked him to speak the words he gave him.
You know, we are God’s people. We WILL hear from Him, and He WILL whisper things in our heart to do and say. You may not have the gift of Prophecy, but God still wants to speak in and through you.
Fortunately, Ezekiel was obedient and when God asked him to command the dry bones to come to life, that’s exactly what he did. Ezekiel heard a rustling, the sound of bones moving, and then coming together, bone to bone. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them.
The rubble of dry bones now formed an army of people. But this vision was not yet complete. Yes, this was a huge sign of hope but the bodies were still lifeless…they had no breath.
I heard Jan Becker, a midwife and helicopter pilot, speaking on the radio this week. She spends a lot of time in Tanzania working in midwifery. She said when she first visited there, the mortality rate of babies was very high. On one of her first days there, the hospital pronounced a baby dead. But she observed that they hadn’t really done anything to help it take its first breath. She said all they have to do is rub the baby on it’s back and it usually gasps that first all important, life giving breath. Breath is life.
God again commanded Ezekiel to prophesy “Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” (Ezekiel 37:9)
Ezekiel obediently did as God asked and the real miracle occurred. Breath enter the bodies and life took hold. The bones, once dead and gone forever, became an army of living breathing beings again. So beautiful. so extraordinary. So merciful. So hopeful.
The vision ends with God saying to Ezekiel, the Israelites say
“‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ (Ezekiel 37:11). God knew exactly what was happening for the Israelite people, and he knows exactly what’s happening for you. He knew their hopelessness, he knew that they felt their best days were over, he knew that they looked to the future with without hope.
And this is God’s response was ‘My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel… I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.” (Ezekiel 37:12-14).
That’s all a bit gruesome, God saying he’d open up their graves. But this speaks of bringing life to a place that seemed long dead. And when God says he will put his Spirit in them, it’s ruach, the same word that was used for breath earlier. Breath equals life. God’s Spirit equals spiritual life.
The beautiful thing about this vision is that although the Israelites had lost everything dear to them, God’s message is…all you need is my breath, my Spirit. That’s all we need.
There are many things in our community of faith that we grieve. Some died long ago (for instance, the brass band at Tarrawanna) and others are a more recent grief (like meeting together).
But in the midst of what seems like a desolate, dry, abandoned situation, God has a purpose and a plan. Last Sunday people came to faith through online Salvation Army church services. All round Australia pastoral care is happening in a way we haven’t seen for years. People are stepping up and contacting one another. Connection is intentional. People are seeking God and praying fervently.
Keep connected, keep praying, keep seeking God…because He gives us His ruach, His Spirit, and the truth is, that’s all we need. God bless you this week, Robyn
Sermons For The Moment
New Year - Matthew 2:13-23
Do not be afraid - Matthew 1:18-21
Luke 2: 4- 15
Luke 1: 26-33
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Ruth Chapter 4
Ruth 3
Ruth 2
Commitment from Love, Ruth 1: 1-18
This is an interesting Psalm – another psalm of ascent. We spoke about these Psalms of Ascent a few weeks ago. They were songs the Jewish people sang as they made their way to Jerusalem to go to the temple, through the forest, along the tracks, camping by the roads. And I believe songs like this kept them focussed and kept their spirits up. I can imagine days of walking together, tiring, boring, hot and dusty. And singing some of these Psalms keep them focussed on the faithfulness of God. Much better then eye spy for the kids. Journeys are not all their cracked up to be even if the destination is worth it. As you know, when I was growing up we always holidayed at Bawley Point past Ulladulla, and in those days it was about a 4 hour drive from Sydney. We always left later than we meant to…and the last 20 mins was on a dirt road. One year when I was probably about 4 years old it was dark by the time we got to the dirt road, and half way along the dirt road, was a dodgy wooden bridge over a river. I think part of the bridge had been damaged and we had to wait a bit in the pitch black darkness before we could proceed. Dad was out with a torch ensuring the bridge was safe to drive on and mum and us 4 kids were sitting in the darkness – no street lights, no moonlight. Of course, you might be able to guess what I said to mum in that car, with fearful crying…you’ve probably heard it from kids before. I said ‘I want to go home’. Mum said to me, ‘we can’t go home Robyn, we’re almost there’. In truth, after the bridge we had the last 10 minutes of a 4 hours journey left. We safely crossed the bridge and we were OK. But I remember it. I remember the feeling of being scarred in the darkness. I remember not liking this journey at all. Even though I always loved the destination. Well this psalm celebrates the end of the journey and the arrival at the destination. Psalm 126:1-3, “When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!” Before we can understand the laughter and joy of the Israelites, we have to understand their journey. This Psalm looks back to when they arrived back in Jerusalem after 70 long years in Babylon. The captives had experienced great sorrow and mourning in exile. We read these heartbreaking words in Psalm 137: “Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?” (Psalm 137:1-4). Their tormentors demanded they sing joyfully, but they were like – that’s impossible, it doesn’t come from our heart. So they just sat by the waters of Babylon and wept. But now by an amazing work of God they were suddenly back in Jerusalem. And so their joy came from their heart. The wait was over, the journey was complete. “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.” The journey is the hard bit though isn’t it? I was reminded of this, this week. An Officer couple I was speaking to, said that their teenager said some very hurtful things to them. Stuff like, ‘you make my life worse’. As they spoke to me, I did very little but listen and pray with them. They do have other supports in their life as well, already seeing a psychologist. But what I was thinking in my head as they were speaking was ‘oh the teenage years, I’d forgotten them’. Though we have 2 wonderful young adults in P and K, they were times when it was more than tense. K wears her heart on her sleeve, and to this day apologises for some of the things she said to me. And P, you wouldn’t know what he was thinking, and then all of a sudden all his thoughts and feelings for the last 3 years would come out like molten lava everywhere. A few days later I checked in to see how the couple and their teenager were going. I mentioned in passing about teenage years and very briefly about our experiences. I didn’t want to make it all about me. But I said teenage years can be painful and those years can really hurt everyone in the family. Teenager included. They know that we have a good relationship with P and K and they said to me, you know, this is helpful. It gives us hope. I was like, yep, this too shall pass. Because when you’re in the midst of the journey of pain and sorrow, you sometimes wonder if there’s light at the end of the tunnel. If you’ll laugh again or experience joy again. You begin to wonder, “Is this all that God has for me? Will I ever be happy again?” And here’s the promise in Psalm 126:4-6, “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” When you are going through a time of deep sorrow, Psalm 126 is strong medicine for your soul. It carries a powerful message of hope. It tells you that times of trouble and sorrow do not last. It tells you that God will turn your sorrow to joy and your tears to laughter. If you are going through a challenging time right now, I pray that this psalm will speak to your heart this morning. Let me tell you right up front, whatever you’re going through, it will get better. God will change your tears to joy. This week I found something I wrote about 10 years ago. I had written it on a piece of paper and there was a whole reflection about my life. At the time we had my mum living with us, she had dementia, and mostly I remember the good times and the fun times with her. I was also the Corps Officer at Glebe and Bob was the manager at William Booth House. After a page of writing I had written something like this “I’m often anxious, I’m usually stressed, I have eczema on my eyelids and ulcers in my mouth. I always feel pressed.” I went out to Bob in the lounge room and I’m like, ‘oh my goodness, eczema on my eyelids and ulcers in my mouth’, often anxious, usually stressed. The thing is, my life feels a long way from that now, and I’d forgotten what that part of my journey felt like. I’m sure when I was there I couldn’t look ahead and see a time of joy…but the truth is that “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” This too shall pass. ‘Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!’ says verse 3. God is faithful – he does the healing, the restoring, he brings the streams in the desert that renews and brings fruitfulness. I don’t need to tell you – it takes time. Today, I’m praying for a work of healing in your life, a gradual restoration of joy, of laughter. Like me as a kid, sometimes we don’t like parts of this journey at all. Even though we know our destination is good. And ultimately, we have a destination like no other and that’s the promise of God. A home in heaven made possible through Jesus. May God bless you this week as you look to Him, listen to Him, find your hope in Him and find courage and healing in your journey.