Have we heard this passage from Ezekiel so many times that it has lost its horror? It’s a vision of death ~ what most of us might actually call a nightmare. A dry, dry valley spread out all around the dreamer, a desert full of bleached human bones, too many to count. These remains had been given no decent burial. The jackals and vultures, the maggots and beetles, had long ago fattened themselves on the fallen. The dry, hot winds of many seasons had further scoured them. Nothing could be more dead, dead, dead.

Yet a voice comes to Ezekiel, “Mortal, can these bones live?”

Ezekiel, no fool, hedges, “God, you know.” When God questions you, be cautious. You never know quite what God wants your answer to be. You never know quite what God will be asking you to do as a consequence of your answer.

Not that it seems to matter. Paying no attention to Ezekiel’s hesitancy, God continues with the command to prophesy.

To prophesy is to speak the truth. Speak the truth to old, crumbly bones. Speak the truth to death. No hedging. Be detailed. Be brazen. Drum up some chutzpah, Man!

The implication is these bones will live if Ezekiel obeys.

The miracle is that he not only hears the command, he follows through. With that, things become even more terrifying. Instead of being in the midst of thousands of bones, the prophet is surrounded by a vast multitude of lifeless bodies — corpses? ghosts? zombies? 

God isn’t done, however. “Prophesy to the breath, you Mortal.”

There’s something tricky going on here. In Hebrew, the word for breath and wind and spirit is the same: Ruach.

So this could equally well be translated, “Prophesy to the wind,” or “Prophesy to the spirit.” All are equally ridiculous: telling breath to enter dead lungs, telling winds to blow, telling spirit to animate flesh. Nevertheless, Ezekiel does as God has commanded. By the word of God, the people breathe, the people live, the people have spirit restored.

By the word of God, I say. But the word has to be believed. The word has to be spoken. Then there is life.

You might note that the bones have no say in what happens to them, just as the Jews had no say in God’s choosing them to be menders of the world. Maybe the bones would have preferred eternal rest. Maybe there are Jews who would prefer that some other people carry the burden of being the chosen ones. Indeed, maybe you would prefer that God leave you to your own devices, too? 

But if so, what are you doing here?

Perhaps the three biggest red letter days for the Church are Christmas — when we celebrate Jesus’ birth; Easter — when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection; and Pentecost — when we celebrate Jesus’ handing over his ministry to us. 

What, that’s not what you thought you were signing up for — doing Jesus’ work? 

I suspect Ezekiel didn’t sign up for fearsome visions and outlandish prophesying either. 

The particular folks gathered together after Jesus ascended probably had no idea what they had signed up for.

The scripture says simply, “When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place.” We don’t know who, exactly, “they” were – those called “disciples,” I suppose, but who else? Jesus’ mother and brothers? other women known to be among Jesus’ followers? The man Luke elsewhere identified as Cleopas? Stephen, who would soon be martyred? 

The first chapter of the Book of Acts implies there were about 120 believers, all Jews who would have been accustomed to celebrating Pentecost in a certain way, which probably included a presentation of grain or bread at the Temple. Perhaps these believers had gathered in preparation for the thanksgiving feast that marked the day. There is no indication they were doing or expecting anything out of the ordinary. Maybe they weren’t even especially happy, but had assembled to reminisce about last year’s Pentecost when Jesus was still with them.

Maybe they were still afraid of what might be done to them by the religious or Roman authorities. 

So who was more surprised by the sudden coming of the Spirit — by the wind, the fiery breath, the sounds of other languages? The Galileans or the visitors from other lands? Which group was more perplexed by what it all meant? 

How did those Spirit-filled believers feel about being abruptly handed Jesus’ ministry? 

For that matter, how do you feel? How do you feel about forgiving those who have harmed you? How do you feel about being generous to those who don’t deserve it? How do you feel about loving your enemy? How do you feel about loving yourself? Does it make you want to squirm a bit? Does it make you want to hide? 

I’m here to tell you there is no hiding. The bones are rattling. The wind is growing stronger. Flames are leaping from tongue to tongue. The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus, the one and only Holy Spirit has been let loose in the world. 

We can forget about what’s comfortable. Forget about who’s right and who’s wrong. The firestorm is growing; we need to share the Spirit’s work with as many people as possible. 

We need the successful and the-down-and-out, 

sinners and the sinned-against, 

natives and immigrants, 

temporarily able-bodied and maimed, 

liberals and conservatives, 

dreamers and toilers,  

ENTJ’s and ISFP’s,

straight and LBGTQIs,

doubters and believers,

you and me.

If there is no escaping the Holy Spirit, better that there be lots and lots of us to bear this Love that will not be content until every last bit of creation is aflame with its glory. God help us. Amen.