The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ ”
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Ezekiel 37:1-10 NLT
Ezekiels Vision of The Valley of Dry Bones
Good morning saints, good morning sinners!
That’s the greeting of the pastor of the church we attended in Winnipeg implying we are all sinners but saved by the glory of God and should endeavour to be saintly despite our fallen past. I trust you are all doing well and thank you for joining us this morning.
In this service I ask you to consider the state of the church before confinement, where it’s at now and what might it look like in the future. There are times when the church has seemed like a valley of dry bones. Is it time to make those dry bones rattle again? There has been so much talk about revival in the past and if you look at what is happening with online church, there are mini revivals happening. What can we do to maintain the momentum after lockdown is eased fully? To that end, I have chosen a “back to basics” message from Rachel Hughes of Gas Street Church in Birmingham. She talks us through a story we all know well – The Good Samaritan. I hope and pray you are blessed by this selection.
Stay well and see you soon.
Simply Church, Herault, France 