Lent

March 23, 2020

Scripture Reading:
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.’ –Ezekiel 37:1-6

Bones strewn around open ground first makes me think that a horrid battle had occurred where bodies had been left to rot some years back. They could also indicate other kinds of attack such as pestilence or disease. We daily watch the charts showing the number of deaths among peoples around the world rise markedly each day as we take more seriously our task of withdrawing from people so that the covid19 virus spreads less. Like me, most of us want to do something, anything to stop the spread of the disease and yet we are charged specifically with the inertia of avoiding crowds. I am writing this as I await my own church’s Facebook worship. I have seen inquiries on social media from pastors wondering what the new normal is regarding funerals where crowds are expected exchanging loving, comforting hugs.

I have heard only a few crazy theories about this virus’ causes and I do believe as Jesus taught that it rains on the just and the unjust*. I also think that every life challenge is a teaching moment. In this instance we are reminded again what is important and what is not. Oneness with all is not just a pipe dream but was/is the intentional creative spirit God planted in each of us at our creation and one we reject at our own peril. And we are never alone as God’s abiding presence surrounds us 24/7 for eternity.

Prayer: Lord, as we lose patience with awaiting the end of our current challenge remind us to learn from the experience, to recognize the wonder of Oneness, and to love you more dearly as you guide us through recovery because we are all in this together. Amen.

*Matthew 5:45

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.