Episode 315 The Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

This week we read Ezekiel 37:1-14, another text set in the time of the exile. In a book known for  bizarre visions and sign-acts, this chapter shows us the valley of dry bones. We dive into the great chasm between hopeless and hopeful, and find Ezekiel somewhere in the middle, willing to prophesy to scattered bones in a field as he's been told, but honestly unsure what will happen when he does. We discuss the role of stories that feel scary in our lives of faith, and how the concrete images of bodies and of death in this chapter force us to go all the way to our most frightening thoughts before it pulls us back. And we see the sort of alchemy between God’s power and Ezekiel’s willingness to speak God’s words into the world, even when he’s not entirely sure what will happen.