The foot bone’s connected to the…
(Let me preface this by saying not only am I not any kind of medical professional, I struggled through basic science classes and have no answer to this!)
Remember singing this song as a little kid? I can sing you the tune, but the words are beyond my grasp. I remember touching each bone as the leader called it out. The song is called “Dem Bones” and is actually based upon a passage from Ezekiel (Chapter 37) in which God leads Ezekiel into a place filled with bones. God commands Ezekiel to speak to the bones and ask them to rise. Ezekiel does so and the bones rise; tendons, veins, and skin grow, and before him are people. But, there is no breath in them. So God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the wind to breathe into them so that they will live (in Hebrew, the word is ruach = the breath of God, God’s spirit). They become fully alive. Ezekiel goes on to prophesy this word of promise from God: “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” God breathed life into “dem bones”.
This promise comes when the Israelites and being destroyed by the Babylonians, as was their beloved Jerusalem. They had lost hope. They wondered where God was. They felt like God had abandoned them and they would simply dry up as these bones had. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like God was nowhere to be found or at least slacking off? I know I have. I think we all have. In this time and place where a virus controls our actions, racism is running rampant, our earth is dying by our own hands, I believe it’s easy to wonder “What the heck God? Can’t you fix this?” It’s easy to wonder if there is a plan and how it’s going to work. The answer to these questions to God are “Yes”. Yes, God can fix this. The catch is, God will be using us to do it. God breathed each of us into life, to be God’s human form on earth; to be God’s feet, heart, hands, words, and breath. It’s hard work. It takes all of us, with our various gifts, to utilize them together to create that sanctuary God talks about. Some of us have the gift of art, some have the gift of joy, some of us have the gift of faith, some of us have the gift of willingness, some have the gift of stories of redemption, some of us have the gift of patience, some of us are organizers, some of us are growers, etc. etc. etc. What are your gifts? What can you do to help create a sanctuary here on earth? How is God calling you to use the gifts that you’ve been given? Sometimes it’s hard to think of ourselves as gifted or being someone God needs. But, my beloved sisters and brothers, we are! God knew exactly who we were going to be. God designed us before we were born with certain gifts, certain attributes, and certain calls to engage the world in Love. If you know what your gifts are great! How can we put them to use? If you’re not quite sure, join the many of us who question our purpose here or wonder how we can best serve God and our neighbor? I encourage us to take some time in solitude with God and seek knowledge of what gifts we have and how we can use them to make the world more holy and whole.
Rev. Colleen ends the mass with the words “You are the breath of God, still breathing, here and now.” These words give me such hope. They’re filled with the promise that I am part of, and surrounded by, God’s beloved, that we can change things for the better, and we won’t need to be doing it alone. We are stronger together, and even stronger when we invite God along for the ride. “Dem bones” of ours are full of the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s breathe, play, love, pray and serve together and never forget this promise: “I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people”.
Rev. Joan
