Weekly Meditation for June 1st

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Weekly Meditation
by Valerie Jackson
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Valley of Dry Bones
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. And God led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. So God said to me, 'Mortal, can these bones live?' I answered, 'O Lord God, you know.' Then God said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 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.'

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. 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. Then God 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.' I prophesied as God commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then God 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." 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. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 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.'


At one time, humans believed that God did not speak directly to individuals, but revealed herself (himself) through a prophet, one chosen by God to tell the people what God wanted them to see or understand. Ezekiel was a prophet of God and in this scripture, God gives Ezekiel a vision and asks him to pass it on to the Israelites.

Sometimes we miss the power of a scripture because we get caught up in the unfamiliar language and cultural differences. Let's make this scripture real to us through the guided meditation below. Meditate and pray in this way to help yourself hear God speaking to us as he/she spoke to Ezekiel.


Close your eyes. Quiet your mind. Slowly, breathe in and then slowly, exhale several times. As you breathe, think about yourself as a child of God, your essence. Concentrate on the ways you feel whole, at peace, connected with God. Stay with those thoughts for a moment as you continue to breathe and exhale slowly. Now think about the parts of you that feel distant from God, like your fears, your unwanted thoughts, your mistakes and your unhealthy behaviors. Relax, don't beat yourself up about them, simply be aware of their presence and bring them along. Feel God's spirit moving in the air around you. As you inhale deeply, breathe in the spirit of God. When you exhale say the word "Renew". You need not say it out loud. Let your breath say it. "Renew". Imagine all parts of you (whether you see them as good or bad) rising up and coming together. Feel the spirit of God connecting it all and breathing new life into you. Inhale....Exhale...Renew.

Now move your thoughts from you as an individual to the congregation called Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St Louis. Continue to inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Imagine all of the diverse parts of MCCGSL, all the faces and all the groups. They are like bones lying on the floor before you. Imagine those individual bones rising up and coming together. Initially, they are bones forming a lifeless skeleton. Continue to breathe in the spirit of God from the air around you. Each breath you take breathes more life into that skeletal shell. See muscles and tendons develop on the bones. Feel the spirit of God washing over it, invigorating it. Feel God breathing life into Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis. Hear God saying, 'Renew'. Continue to breathe in slowly and let your exhale hold the word 'Renew'. Let it flow out as a quiet prayer.....'Renew'. Yield to 'Renew'.