Ezekiel 37:1-14
http://bible.oremus.org/browser.cgi?passage=Ezekiel+37%3A1-14
Romans 8:6-11
http://bible.oremus.org/browser.cgi?passage=Romans+8%3A6-11
John 11:1-45
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Did you know that a chocolate bar can recharge you? Or that shoes can make you feel like a new person? Or that a car can give you a new lease on life? There are so many things advertised out there that promise to give us a new lease on life that it makes me wonder: are people these days so exhausted and worn out that we’ll jump at anything that promises to give us a lift? Well, that’s sort of a rhetorical question, because I think the answer is yes. Sometimes I have the chance to sit on the subway during the evening rush hour, or even worse, to drive during rush hour, and I see people who are basically zombies. They are so worn out by their day, and by the seeming meaninglessness of their life’s work, they are so worn down by illness and even by loneliness, that they look as if they are half-dead. There are some days when I get home and I feel like a zombie. And so I would hazard a guess that each one of us, at some point in our life or another, have felt just plain dead at the end of the day, in desperate need of new life.
So what do you do at the end of your day? How do you recharge and get the energy you need to make your next day a good one? What do you do to get that hit of life that keeps you going? Everybody has their little thing that they do, either at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, that makes them feel better. A lot of people veg out in front of the TV, catching up on their favourite shows as a way to relax. Some people recharge by working out, or by having a nice meal. More than a few people turn to chemical substances to make themselves feel alive - to alcohol, or illegal drugs, or prescription medication, or even to caffeine or nicotine. Others try to make something of their lives through sex, or gambling, or shopping, or even driving fast. And some people find meaning in their lives through the accomplishments of others - through the achievements of their children, or their grandchildren, or through the successes of pop stars, or celebrities, or, for some people, politicians. There are all kinds of different ways that you and I use to bring energy and new life back into our lives. Things we do to help us get through the exhaustion, or illness, or loneliness of our days.
The thing is that none of these things really work - that is, none of them are really a permanent fix. Some of them downright make us feel worse in the long run, rather than better. Obviously, the chemical substances and the addictions are unhealthy. But even things that seem harmless, like watching a couple of hours of TV a day, or living through the successes of others have their downside. They may relax us temporarily, but when we look back over our lives, even over our week, it doesn’t bring us new energy when we realize we’ve spent fifteen hours in front of the television, or done nothing noteworthy ourselves. In the end, all of the things that we turn to to bring us new life - well, they just don’t cut it. They actually suck whatever remaining energy is in us right out and turn it into a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. One coffee isn’t enough, and it becomes two, and then three. One hour of TV doesn’t give you the rest you need, and it becomes two, and then three. One pair of shoes doesn’t bring you joy anymore, and you need two, or three. In the end, these things we do don’t give us new life - instead, they take our energy from us and they make us dead inside.
But, actually, that’s to be expected. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans, "to set the mind on the flesh is death." Now, contrary to popular opinion, Paul’s not talking about "fleshly pleasures" like sex, or overindulgence, or anything that’s traditionally been referred to as "sins of the flesh." When Paul talks about the flesh, he’s talking about all these things we’ve listed before - about all the daily or weekly things we do to give ourselves a lift. In this case, when Paul uses the word "flesh", he’s referring to anything and everything that isn’t "spirit." "To set the mind on the flesh is death," he says, "but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." True life, real energy and renewal, doesn’t come from TV or food or any of those temporary human endeavours. As terrible as it sounds, we can’t even get real renewal from friends and family. Eventually, they go on to live their own lives, as they must. But the Spirit - God - does bring us those things. God’s presence among us brings new life.
There is no more dramatic, well-known example of that in the Old Testament than the story of Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones. It is such a powerful image that it inspired that great African-American spiritual, "Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones..." In Ezekiel’s vision, he sees the valley of the dead, full of skeletons. Have you ever seen a pile of skeletons? There is no stronger image of death than that - bones bleached by the sun, skulls staring blankly into space. And then Ezekiel speaks the word of the Lord to them and, presto! Muscles and tendons and veins and finally skin, and they are remade. But at this point, they’re like us at the end of the day - zombies with no inner life. But God gives them breath, and then they are finally alive, they are resurrected, they have new life! And God tells them, "I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live." It’s an interesting choice of words here: I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live. Not "you might live" or "you will live if you want to," but God will do this, and we shall live. We have no choice in the matter. God’s Spirit in us brings us new life.
Of course, coupled with this is our Gospel story of Jesus and Lazarus. This, too, is a powerful story, one that no doubt brings up a lot of memories for those who’ve heard it at funerals. The story of Jesus and Lazarus is also a story of Mary and Martha, and of the pain and loneliness that is felt when their brother dies. They know they’ll see their brother again at the end, but that doesn’t do anything to lessen their grief in the meantime. They know that new life is coming one day, but the pain and loneliness is still there, sucking their life out of them. Until Jesus tells them that that day is today. That they don’t have to wait for the resurrection, because Jesus, who is here with them now, is the resurrection. And so Jesus calls to Lazarus, who has been dead in the tomb for four days, who is beyond hearing anybody. Jesus, the Son of God, calls to Lazarus, and like the bones in Ezekiel’s valley, new life comes into him, the breath of God resurrects him, and out he comes. God’s presence, through Jesus, gives him, and even his sisters, new life.
That’s what Paul is getting at when he says that the Spirit brings life. "If Christ is in you," he says, "though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Now, Paul uses the word Spirit, and Christ, and Spirit of Christ interchangeably, but we know he’s talking about that same aspect of God that we see in Ezekiel’s valley, and in Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus, and especially in Jesus’ own resurrection. He’s talking about that aspect of God that takes our tired, lonely, and dead inner selves and recharges it with new life and resurrection.
In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Whether you say that it is through the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of Christ, or Christ himself, God is present in you to bring you new life. That’s why, during the Haugen Communion liturgy that we used in Epiphany and that we’ll use again at Easter, we hear, during Communion, about "the One who lives in us and in whom we live, Jesus Christ." The One who lives in us and in whom we live, Jesus Christ. When God calls to us, it is Christ inside us who responds, with a renewing of ourselves, with new life. And that’s an important thing to remember - that this isn’t one more thing on a long list of things we have to do to get more energy. After all, we don’t have enough energy as it is - how are we going to spend more trying to respond to God’s call to new life? No, that’s not how it works. We don’t do the work. It is Christ, inside us - come to live in us through Baptism, remaining in us through Communion, who does the work, who responds to God’s call, who stirs new life inside of us. We just have to sit there and let it happen. Like the dry bones in the valley, we don’t do anything but let God’s Spirit bring us back to life.
And don’t forget what Jesus told Martha. This new life isn’t just for "the resurrection on the last day." You don’t have to wait until you’re dead to experience new life. You don’t even have to wait until Easter. Jesus Christ himself is the resurrection, and he is this moment with you, inside you, responding to God’s call. And that means that the resurrection and new life that God has promised you is meant to begin today, right now. In fact, it has already begun.
An existence of fatigue, loneliness, meaninglessness is not what God intends for you. Days that lead to depression and death are not the point of our time on earth. So when you’re looking for that boost of energy, when you’re crashed on the sofa at the end of a really hard day, when you’re struggling to give some significance and shape to your life, don’t turn to those things that actually end up making you dead inside. Don’t grab that chocolate bar, or head for the fridge, or the shopping mall. Don’t flip on the TV or check your email for the umpteenth time. Instead, take a few minutes and turn inwards, to where God’s Spirit is. Listen for God calling to you, and then relax and be refreshed by the gift of new life that Christ shares with you in that moment. Let the one who lives in you, and in whom you live, Jesus Christ, the bearer of God’s Spirit, bring you the life and peace that is promised to you. Let God bring you resurrection. Amen.
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