Ezekiel 37:1-10

Some years ago a traveling evangelist was driving along the interstate in his fiery red Lotus Espirit when his car broke down in a desolate stretch of highway near Death Valley, California. Just great, he thought to himself. This would have to happen smack dab in the middle of a sultry, summer day when the air grows fingers and chokes your neck! And it would have to happen while on the way to preach a revival meeting! Stranded in the middle of nowhere, this preacher man, Zeke I believe his name was, hopped the guardrail hoping to find a shortcut to the township of Mount Zion. In his quest for a mechanic and a water pump he chanced upon a junkyard. The place smelled awful. There were mounds of debris with turkey vultures on the prowl hunting for bargains. There were used tires and rusty appliances, broken radios and damaged bicycles. And there were bones. Lots of them. There were vertebrae and clavicles and pelvis bones. There were ribs and skulls. Who knows where they came from. But there they were, an endless valley of dry, brittle bones.

Zeke was viewing this vast wasteland when he heard a voice. "Zeke, what do you think? Do you think this place could be spruced up a bit? Do you think this mortuary could become a labor and delivery floor? Do you think we could teach these dead bones to really live it up for the first time?"

At once Zeke knew who was speaking to him. He had heard that voice before. In gentle words that danced on his lips he replied. "Ah, sweet Jesus, only You know the answer to that."

To which he heard this response, "I want you to speak over this place everything I tell you to say. Don't look around to see if anyone's watching you. Don't worry if people think you're crazy, talking to the dead and all that. Forget about tonight's revival meeting. You preach right now to this congregation."

So Reverend Zeke did just as he was told. He cleared his throat and clapped his hands. Then he cupped his hands together and shouted out, "Alright now. You all listen up! I got sumpin' to say. Things gonna be changin' round here. My God's workin' up a new thing."

Just then, at that exact moment, an east wind ripped through the stillness and began rattling the bones. Zeke watched as if in a trance. Dismembered body parts repositioned into place. Femurs climbed atop fibulas. Radius bones found their capitulum. Metacarpals and phalanges extended themselves as if to receive a blessing. And then the extraordinary happened. Resurrection took place. The upright skeletons, alert to the presence of their Maker, were changed. Muscles formed. Organs and ligaments appeared out of nowhere. Skin stretched tight over bones. Black skin, white skin, red skin, blue eyes, green eyes. They caught their breath as breath was given back to them. And then they sang. These dazzling beings, splendidly dressed in glory, moistened their new lips and sang: "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost."

On that same day another resurrection took place. Zeke was also changed. From that moment on, he began to see people differently. He began to see more than junked souls, rusted marriages and broken lives. He began to sense the presence of the Wind in the rustling of the leaves. He began to discern the Voice that speaks. He began to notice signs of resurrection.

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