A Breath of Fresh Air

Good Morning and Welcome to Worship! Worship is often the first place that new people come into contact with this growing community of faith. And so, if you are joining us for the first time, I say to you what is said every Sunday: You are welcome here. Here is a place where all are welcome. For such is the love of God for God’s Very Good Creation.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye Heav'nly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kindom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kindom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Out of the darkness we cry to you, Loving God.

God of the way of love, hear our voices and help us be attentive to your Spirit.

We pray for those whose hope is lost, who feel dried up and cut off from you.

By your Spirit, open their hearts; bring them back into loving community.

We pray for those who are oppressed, held captive by the power of death.

Release them from their fears; unbind them and let them go free!

We pray for those who weep, lost and lifeless in fear and regret.

Grant them the peace of your presence; show them what your love can do.

We thank you loving God for having received our prayers as we open our hearts to you.

Enable us to be your living body and may we be at work in this world resetting. Amen.

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Loving God, by the power of your Spirit, set our hearts and minds on the source of life and peace — your way of new life as taught by Jesus. Amen.

The Valley of Dry Bones ¹ 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. ² He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them: 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.” ⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. ¹¹ Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life ³⁸ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” ⁴⁵ Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him.

At the heart of the Scriptures this week is the wind, the breath from God, the wind from the four corners that are drawn together in Ezekiel. We took a fresh take on the Gospel of John that appears to undo some sexism that had been coded into the Scriptures whether intentionally or unintentionally. How does the quadrilateral provide you with a fresh look at the Scriptures and the traditions that guide us? Where else are you experiencing the movement of the Spirit in your life today?

Without the breath of God, we are dry bones, and without the Word of God, we are dust. With gratitude, let us give thanks to God for the bounty that we have received.

Holy God, giver of life, we thank you for raising us up and joining us together as one people, your people, flesh and bone in the body of Christ. Use our lives to proclaim the good news of new life following the way of Jesus. Amen.

A modified version of St. Patrick’s Breastplate: Love with me, Love before me, Love behind me, Love in me, Love beneath me, Love above me, Love on my right, Love on my left, Love when I lie down, Love when I sit down, Love when I arise, Love in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Love in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Love in every eye that sees me, Love in every ear that hears me. Amen.