Friday 23 August 2024

Today is Friday the 23rd August in the 20th week of Ordinary Time. Eliza King sings, ‘All Things New’. Today, we will be reflecting on transformation from dryness to hope and life. Let Eliza guide you into a time of prayer today with this song… You break like the light of the sun Bringing colour to shadows Christ, it was you all along You’re the words of an ancient song, we’ve been singing Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new You rise, as the bright morning star We were blind but we see you now The light of the world here with us You’re a fire making holy ground, by your spirit Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new You’re the treasure of the ages Sought for generations How the prophets longed to see what we have seen You’re the final word incarnate Leaping from the pages You’re the burning heart behind the mystery Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Behold, He makes all things new Today’s reading is from the Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel 37:1-14 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on 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.’ So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’ A striking image, dry bones coming to life through the power of the word of God! Does it remind you of any situation in your own life when things changed from being lifeless and dispiriting to becoming full of life and hopeful? If you can think back to a time like that, a time of transformation from dryness to life and hope, could you see God at work in the situation? Could you see it at the time? Can you see it now? As the passage is read again, notice how the reviving of the dry bones happens through Ezekiel, how God works through a person of faith, through a person who believes in God's power. How could God work through you, to bring new life to people or situations which are dry or lifeless? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.