Daily Readings - Fri Aug 21 2020
Ezekiel
1The hand of the LORD was upon 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.2He 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.3He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."4Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!5This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.6I 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.'"7So 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.8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.9Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army.11Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'12Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O 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.13Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.14I 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.'"
Matthew
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment.39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful visions of renewal and love. Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the dry bones reminds us of God’s promise to restore life and hope to His people. The bones, once dry and lifeless, are transformed by the Spirit of God, rising as a vast army—a testament to God’s power to revive even in the darkest of times. This vision was directed to the exiled Israelites, who felt hopeless and disconnected from God, their bones “dried out” and their spirits crushed. Ezekiel’s prophecy reassures them that God will not abandon them; He will open their tombs and bring them back to life, placing His Spirit within them.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the heart of God’s law. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus responds by emphasizing love—love for God with our entire being and love for our neighbor as ourselves. These two commandments, He says, are the foundation of all the law and the prophets. This teaching cuts through the complexities of religious debates and gets to the core of what it means to follow God. Just as Ezekiel’s vision shows God’s Spirit bringing life to dry bones, Jesus shows us that love is the Spirit that animates all of life and faith.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in hope and love. Just as God promised to breathe new life into the exiles, He promises to breathe new life into us when we feel dry and hopeless. And just as Jesus taught, this new life is expressed in love—love for God and love for one another. Let us ask ourselves: Where in our lives do we feel like dry bones, devoid of hope or vitality? How can we allow God’s Spirit to revive us? And how can we live out the commandment to love, not just in grand gestures, but in the everyday moments where we encounter our neighbors? May we trust in God’s promise to bring life out of death and may we strive to love as He has loved us.