Devotion 3.30.20

So the service readings for Sunday were from Ezekiel 37 and from John 11.  The valley of dry bones and Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.  Both seemingly two separate readings having little to do with each other.  A desolate valley of dead animal bones seems like an apocalyptic movie set, and Jesus visits Martha and Mary to have them mourn the loss of their brother and think, wishfully, that Christ had been there to prevent the death.

Pastor asked, "What was Lazarus' life like after Christ raised him from the dead?"  He speculated about the various scenarios that might have been after he came back to life, but he linked it to the question:  How will our lives be impacted by this COVID-19 virus, when all returns to normal?

One of my favorite tv shows is MASH, and a classic episode involves Harry Morgan (who would go on to be in the cast after this season as Colonel Potter) who is doing a guest spot as a crazy general named General Hamilton Steele.  When he meets Father Francis Mulcahy, he gets two inches from his face and yells, "There are no atheists in foxholes!" to which Mulcahy replies, "I've heard that."

Sure, when the bullets are flying, God, our Father and Creator, and His Son, Christ, are front and center, hearing many promises that may never be fulfilled.  This corona virus is a slow-motion battle, which confronts two aspects of our lives:  Our fears and our conveniences.  We fear the unknown, the virus and the impact it may have on us, including the possibility of death, and the conveniences, plenty of toilet paper in my life, enough to wrap a house with as a prank.  Fear is present and conveniences are put on hold indefinitely.  So we turn to God in our slow motion battle because "there are no atheists in foxholes."

But look back at the two passages again.  In Ezekiel, Ezekiel is told to "prophecy to these bones..." and when he does, bones arise, sinew attaches, flesh comes next, then skin.  Then Ezekiel is asked to prophecy again, and when he does, God breathes life into the desolate, lifeless bones that have become bodies.  In John, Christ gives life to a dead (four days dead) and lifeless Lazarus.

We feed our faith and starve our fears, John Maxwell said on more than one occasion.  During our time of retreat and reflection afforded us by this hiccup in our conveniences, perhaps that should be our focus.  Taking the life-giving promise from Christ, who tells Martha as she mourns, "I am the resurrection and the life." (11:25). Indeed, Christ is the author of our faith, and it is Him to whom we turn in all times, good and bad.

We pray that we use this time to "Be still and know that I am God" by focusing on our faith.  We ask for God to send His Spirit to us to help strengthen our faith.  We take our petitions to God, including our fears, and ask that He handle them for us.  We are thankful that He is the resurrection and the life.