To Live Again 03.22.2026

The valley-of-dry-bones vision becomes a vivid picture of renewal and the Holy Spirit’s power. Ezekiel sees a plain of scattered, lifeless bones and hears God ask whether those bones can live. The scene moves from skeletal despair to assembly, sinew, and finally breath—the same breath that the text identifies with God’s Spirit—bringing bodies to life. That breath stands as the center: God promises to put spirit into the lifeless and to restore vitality where war, exile, or grief have left people hollow and defeated.

The vision connects directly to present realities of fatigue, loneliness, and hopelessness. The narrative shifts from description to invitation: breath itself serves as a tangible practice and reminder that God supplies life and hope even when circumstances look final. The text urges direct speech to the dead places—calling things that seem impossible to life—and proposes that God often works through human agents to communicate hope, unbind neighbors, and bring practical compassion. Liturgical moments reinforce this theology: confession and assurance stress that God redeems from sin and death; prayer lifts the suffering of war-torn places; and the meal frames resurrection not as abstract doctrine but as an enacted reality that empowers people to go out and unbind others. Communion, the Lord’s Prayer, and the closing blessing bind the vision to daily discipleship, calling for faithful breathing, speaking, and acts of mercy until final renewal arrives.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. God's breath creates new life God identifies breath with the Spirit and makes life dependent on that breath. Where bodies, communities, or hopes sit dry and scattered, a single divine inhalation reverses the finality of death. Remembering breath becomes a spiritual practice: each inhalation can reorient attention to God’s ongoing creative action and prompt courageous speech toward dead places. [20:39]
• 2. Hopelessness does not limit God The valley’s silence proves nothing about God’s ability to act; despair exposes human perception, not divine power. God’s question—“Can these bones live?”—invites honest acknowledgment of weakness while refusing despair as the final verdict. Faith in this view means naming hopelessness and then expecting God to rewrite that story through Spirit-driven restoration. [17:24]
• 3. Believers called to breathe hope The text makes participants instruments: God breathes life, and people speak life into others. Spiritual breathing becomes missional: every act of compassion, every word of courage, carries the potential to reanimate someone who feels entombed. This calling reshapes ministry into persistent presence rather than spectacular fixes. [23:24]
• 4. Communion empowers resurrection living The meal narrates resurrection as present and habitual, not merely future hope. Sharing bread and cup grounds the promise that the risen Christ gives strength to renounce sin and serve others with renewed life. Participation sends people out to unbind those caught in sorrow, fear, or injustice. [63:07]
• 5. Pray and work for peace Intercession for conflict zones links spiritual breath with concrete concern for the vulnerable. Prayer that names suffering must also mobilize justice-seeking action; asking God for protection pairs with working for peace, care, and reconciliation. The church’s vocation includes both pleading and serving until life replaces violence. [50:12]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:11] - Announcements and community news
• [06:25] - Appointment and next year plans
• [07:34] - Opening prayer and call to worship
• [15:49] - Children’s moment and interaction
• [17:24] - Ezekiel: Valley of Dry Bones
• [20:39] - Breath explained as Holy Spirit
• [23:24] - Called to bring life to others
• [29:50] - Reflection on John 11 reading
• [47:54] - Apostles’ Creed and hymns
• [50:12] - Prayer for Middle East and world
• [61:55] - Communion liturgy and Eucharist
• [63:51] - The Lord’s Prayer
• [75:38] - Closing hymn and final blessing

Bible reading
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NIV)
*The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”*

John 11:38-44 (NIV)
*Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”*

---

Observation questions

1. In Ezekiel 37, what did God tell the prophet to do after the bones came together but still had no breath?
2. What did the people of Israel say about themselves that revealed their hopelessness? [17:24]
3. In John 11, what was Jesus’ response when Martha expressed doubt about moving the stone from Lazarus’ tomb? [29:50]
4. What specific actions did Jesus command the people to do for Lazarus after he came out of the tomb?

---

Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” instead of simply declaring that they would live? [17:24]
2. What does it mean that the same Hebrew word (רוּחַ, *ruach*) can be translated as “breath,” “wind,” or “Spirit”? How does this deepen the meaning of the passage? [20:39]
3. In what ways does the story of Lazarus illustrate that hopelessness does not limit God’s power? [29:50]
4. How does Communion frame resurrection not as a distant hope but as a present reality that empowers practical action? [01:03:07]

---

Application questions

1. When have you felt like “dry bones”—completely drained of energy, hope, or purpose? What would it look like to intentionally receive God’s breath in that place this week? [23:09]
2. God sometimes uses people to speak life and hope to others, just as he used Ezekiel. Who in your life right now needs a word of courage or practical compassion, and how can you be that for them? [23:24]
3. The sermon connected breath to both receiving God’s Spirit and participating in his mission. How can something as simple as taking a deep breath become a spiritual practice that reorients you toward God’s presence and purpose? [20:39]
4. In what area of your life or community does it feel like things are “final” or beyond repair? How might praying and working for peace—even in small ways—become an act of faith that God can bring life there? [50:12]
5. Communion was described as something that “sends people out to unbind those caught in sorrow.” How can receiving the Lord’s Supper strengthen you to actively serve someone who feels trapped or burdened this week? [01:07:30]
6. Are there places in your heart where you’ve stopped expecting God to act because the situation seems too dead or complicated? What would it look like to honestly name that hopelessness while still expecting God to rewrite the story? [17:24]
7. The closing blessing encouraged going into the world so others “will receive that blessing from you.” What’s one simple way you can carry and share God’s breath—his life and hope—in your daily routines? [01:15:50]