The Word and The Breathe

Sommer Worley

Christ Chapel

Pentecost • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Transcript

It was Thursday afternoon when I sat down to type out this sermon. The grace of God had already lead me through the biblical passages that we will read today and I had already begun to plan out in my mind how this sermon would go. However, It is never an easy feeling when I am at the end of my work week and I don’t have the sermon at least almost finished. So, I walked out of my office and into the Sanctuary. I turned on the lights and I began to pray over every pew. I prayed over each one of you in spirit. I asked that on Sunday morning, today, each heart may be filled to overflowing with the power, peace and understanding of the Holy Spirit. I pray this every week, yet especially for this day as I am called to teach you about God’s Spirit. Earlier that day, I found a prayer for Pentecost in our hymnal and I would like to pray that prayer for us at this time.

An Invitation to the Holy Spirit

O God, the Holy Spirit, come to us, and among us; come as the wind, and cleanse us; come as the fire, and burn; come as dew, and refresh; convict, convert, and consecrate many hearts and lives to our great good and to thy greater glory; and this we ask for Jesus Christ’s sake. AMEN

Read Ezekiel 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1–14 NRSV

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he 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 he 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 he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he 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.

First came The Word

God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones. Do you feel dry? Do you feel worn, tired, maybe even broken, or burned out? You may not have any idea why you feel this way, but God knows. Many of us have felt dry. I honestly believe that even the prophet Ezekiel felt worn out, even burned-out receiving these visions and prophesying to all who would listen. I am feeling a little overwhelmed myself lately. I will be taking a few days off this week hopefully to recoup. We have a big church-wide endeavor planned over the summer.

Prophesy means to speak the words that God directs you to speak. When I preach, I give myself over to God and ask that He gives me the words to speak. That is me asking God to give me the words to Prophesy. To prophesy is to speak to the things that are of God. God is Truth so that when someone prophesies, truly, they are speaking words given to them by God to speak. The Words of Life, give life. But there is something else that we need to remember, another piece to this puzzle. The Word of God was spoken to the prophets of old and to the apostles of Christ, but also, and even more importantly, the Word was made flesh. The Word may have been spoken before, but Jesus was the Word speaking. In this passage, first Ezekiel is to speak The Word of Life. So the dry bones were given life with blood that was pumping and skin to cover as though they are alive. Yet, these bodies were still in a comatose state.

So then, Ezekiel is told to prophesy to them, calling upon the Breathe of Life. What am mighty prayer. What a bold prayer Ezekiel prayed. Then the miracle of life began to happen. Israel, once thought to be dead was brought back to life.

When Jesus came back to life, and appeared to His apostles, one of the first things He did was breath on them.

Read John 15:3, and John 20:22

John 15:3 NRSV

You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.

John 20:22 NRSV

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

First came Jesus, who spoke of Himself, His Father and the Truth in Love. Jesus taught His disciples, healed and restored those in need. Jesus was then crucified, but He was brought back to life. Then Jesus breathed on His disciples, given them His Spirit. He spent forty more days with them before leaving, ascending to the right hand of God the Father. Before He left, He told them to wait a short while and that He would send His Spirit to them all.

So, now today, we are at the Day of Pentecost, which was only ten days later for the Apostles. Today we celebrate the coming of God’s breathe, giving us breathe and new life. Just as Ezekiel first prophesied over the dry bones, then prophesied to the wind to come, so should we expect to receive Christ in body and in Spirit.

Allow The Word of God to flow through you and in you, cleansing you of this death and dryness of this world. Pray to experience the Risen Savior. Pray to be made new by His grace and love.

Then, breathe in the Holy Spirit. The day of Pentecost was not a one time event. The Holy Spirit came that day and for all time to be in and among God’s people. The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, this One Holy Spirit is with us today.

Read Acts 2:2

Acts 2:2 NRSV

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

This is the day of Pentecost. A strong wind filling the entire house where those who believed in the risen Savior sat. Outside of the house where many others who were curious about this story of Resurrection and healing. When the wind came, the whole place began to prophesy, speak in their own languages what God has done for them, and each one understood the other through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Then Peter, like Ezekiel stands up and begins to prophecy. Peter began to speak the Word of God. And the whole place knew that he was speaking what God had directed him to speak. He told of Jesus and His Word, and His breathe. What an amazing day.

Here is the thing, that power, that mighty wind, is still blowing today. That Wind is the Holy Spirit. The Word of God came in flesh and blood. What Christ spoke was love, truth and grace. If you believe He came and that He died for you. Know that He lives in you now. And if He lives in you now, His Spirit breathes through you and all around His holy places. The Word and the Spirit are with us now, and will never leave.