All Our Healing

My wee sermon from Richmond Hill

I am overwhelmed.

I stand before you rather undone once again by news reports coming out of Gaza.

I stand before you rather undone once again by news reports coming from our southern border.

I stand before you rather undone once again by news reports of fear-based politics,

promises of autocracy and vengeance.

I am overwhelmed.

We are a nation entranced by fear.

News services know this. Advertisers know this. Entire social media networks are predicated upon it. Algorithmic demagogs track our apprehensions and distrust and curate our timelines promising us the worst. Despair sells.

Friends of God, the market thrives when we are afraid.

I am overwhelmed.

So, I come to Richmond Hill to recognize my need and renew my spirit. We need places like Richmond Hill to remind us of what is good and beautiful and true in our world and in our own lives. We are made for such a time as this.

Perched upon a hill, we look over a valley and call upon the spirit of God to blow, to renew God’s city. We pray away the fear, recognizing the world for what it truly is…beloved by God even in the midst of racism, sexism, homophobia, and systemic poverty.

And I can think of no better place in which to dig into Ezekiel.

A despairing prophets, he is outraged at how his people have come undone, how far away they have wandered from their covenant with God.

One weekend, years ago, I sat down and read all of Ezekiel. I had read snippets and heard numerous sermons on the story we heard tonight, but it never really landed before. Ezekiel is angry. Ezekiel is sad. Ezekiel is overwhelmed.

This is a big book of prophetic preaching and lamentation. But, tucked away in the narrative is this story where God sends Ezekiel a vision. God leads Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones, skeletons and ruin.

“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.”

God leads him around the valley as if to say, “Take it all in. Look. See where we are. Do not shy away from reality. Do not hide. Lament. Do not deny it. Name it.”

Get mad. Be sad. Be overwhelmed. Then listen to me.

God asks Ezekiel, “Mortal, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

And that is the beginning of wisdom when one is overwhelmed and afraid.

“O Lord God, you know.”

You and I do not know. We cannot predict.

We can only echo God’s word to us.

“Now, prophesy.”

Breathe.

O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 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.’

Stand before the neglected and abused and prophesy.

Stand before the marginalized and fearful and prophesy.

Stand before the valley of dry bones of distrust and despair and prophesy.

Healing is God’s promise to all humanity, the stitching together of bones and sinew, of the very stuff of our bodies…of our lives together. There is no version of this where, at the end of all things, God fails us. But there is work to do. There is always work to do.

Breathe.

In a moment, you will be invited to come forward for healing prayer. This is a time and place for you to bring what ails your heart, mind, or body. God’s spirit is on the move. God will heal us. We will stand together and prophesy to one another.

God. Knows.

Breathe.