The Old Testament passage for the week is the familiar one of the Valley of Dry Bones from Ezekiel Chapter 37, verses 1-14. Here we see that Ezekiel was a man of vision; he saw God in the dreams he experienced, and the prophet saw what was required to restore the nation of Israel back to God.
In the reading, Ezekiel feels the presence of God and is taken to a valley full of dry bones, bones which had been left out exposed. As a priest, Ezekiel would have felt horrified to have been in such a place. We know that priests, in the Bible, would have had nothing to do with dead bodies for fear of becoming ritually unclean. Here, Ezekiel is surrounded by ritually unclean bones! Would you feel the same horror if you were taken to a cellar full of rats, or in these days of the coronavirus, an underground train full of people coughing and sneezing around you?
Back to the reading. Now, the bones in Ezekiel’s vision are very old and very dry. It seems that there has been no life in them for a long while. God asks Ezekiel whether it is possible to revive the bones - whether new life is possible. What occurs next is only possible because the prophet trusts God. “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 bones. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them…” [Ezek. 37: 7-8]
As we look at the world, there is a sense that we feel as if we too are looking at a valley of dry bones, a world that has lost its way. Each day, the coronavirus claims more lives; inflicts more despondency. It looks as if things are getting worse. But even when human hope fails us, still we can be assured that God is still at work. It is not our job to beat our breasts and lament the state of the world. It is our role, as God’s people, to continue with the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. It is our task to remain obedient to God no matter what comes our way. The actions that Ezekiel takes in verses 7-8 help to reinstate life into the dry bones. In a similar way, the actions we take will revitalise the heart and soul of the nations.
But it is easy to say that we are not all ‘Ezekiels’. He had the gift of prophesy. Not everyone is called to be a prophet. St. Paul states quite clearly that there are different spiritual gifts given to the body of Christ: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord…” [1 Cor. 12: 4-5] In order for new life, new spirit, to be given to this world, we all need to play our part. Nearly half a million people have volunteered to carry out tasks in the NHS. They are offering to use their skills for the greater good. If you are isolated at home, why not pray for these volunteers? Perhaps at lunch-time or after breakfast.
Prayer is needed more than at any other time and each one of us can play our part.