9.11.2015 (Ezekiel 37-39) “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.’” Holy Spirit

Ezekiel witnessed Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem (24:1-2), saw Judah’s leaders go into Babylonian exile, and watched Judah lose its land and temple. Despite these traumas, Ezekiel preaches that the Holy Spirit will renew the desolate land so it will “become like the garden of Eden” (36:35). In his vision, dry bones come to life because of the “breath” (or spirit) of God (37:10). God promised the exiles, “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live” (37:14). God’s Spirit breathed upon Ezekiel and enabled him to promise a new Judah, a return from exile, a cleansed people, and a new heart. The Spirit moved God’s people from trauma to renewal amid and after the exile. John Wesley used this image of the Spirit of God breathing new life to talk about how God enlivens Christians, both initially in the Spirit’s witness that makes us new and through “spiritual respiration” that sustains our relationship with God. Wesley Study Bible pg 1035