Thursday, March 30, 2017
"Can these dry
bones then live?" Ezekiel 37:3
After the fall of Jerusalem to the Roman army in 70 CE, a
group of extreme Zealots (Sicarii) overtook the
Roman garrison at Masada, a tabletop mountain overlooking the Dead Sea,
where Herod the Great had built a fortified palace complex including a
synagogue. Besieged by the Roman troops, the Sicarii and families watched as,
bucketful by bucketful, stone and dirt were used to build a ramp up the west
flank of the mount. (Imagine building a dirt ramp up the side of Devil's Tower
in Wyoming…) When the Roman army breached the walls on April 16, 73 CE, they
found every one dead, except a few hiding women and children. Among the
artifacts excavated from under the synagogue at Masada is a scroll fragment:
Ezekiel's vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. Overlooking the wilderness around
the Dead Sea, we hear these words again, "Can these bones then live?"
One could wonder: what was the new life for Israel the prophet had declared?
What is the new life God desires for each one of us?
Breathe your Spirit
upon these dry bones, O God, and make us new. Amen
- Start
making Ukrainian eggs for your Easter celebration.
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