BONES ALIVE! An Intergenerational Worship Service based on Ezekiel 37:1-14 Adaptable for different sized congregations October 1996 Doreen Lankshear-Smith, PO Box 10155, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6T7
BONES ALIVE! An Intergenerational Worship Service based on Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Common Lectionary Year A Lent 5; Year B Pentecost) (Note: For larger congregations the parts of Teens 1, 2 & 3 may be divided between more people. Dress can be simply headwear or more elaborate. Other lectionary readings for the day may be included at appropriate places) PRELUDE CALL TO WORSHIP One: We come to praise God, who is with us in times of stress; ALL: WHO SHARES THE PAIN OF OUR SORROW. One: We come to praise God, who brings water into dry places; ALL: WHO TURNS THE EMBERS OF SHATTERED DREAMS INTO HOPE. One: Come, let us sing to the Lord. ALL: LET US SING TO THE LORD. HYMN: Come, Let us Sing (VU #222/SFGP #90) PRAYER OF APPROACH ALL: LOVING CREATOR, WE CELEBRATE YOUR PRESENCE AMONG US. MAY THE MUSIC OF YOUR LOVE MOVE US AS WE SING; MAY WE FIND YOUR WORD TO US IN THE DRAMA OF ANCIENT STORY FROM SCRIPTURE; MAY ITS POETRY AND METAPHOR MOVE US TO A NEW PLACE WHERE HOPE MAY ENTER INTO THE DRY PARTS OF OUR LIVES AND THROUGH US TO OUR PARCHED PLANET. OPEN OUR HEARTS NOW TO HEAR YOUR WORD AND SEE THE VISION OF OUR FUTURE. AMEN NARRATOR: Our story begins at a very low time in the life of the Hebrew people of long ago. They had been exiled in Babylon and although some were living quite comfortably they were still longing to return to their own land where they believed that life would be much easier. They longed to returned to the land of their holy city, Jerusalem, the site of the Temple of the Lord. The prophet Ezekiel, whose name means "God is strong," had been called by God to prophesy to the people to repent from their sins, but the people did not listen. Ezekiel, as had other prophets, believed that the exile was a just punishment from God. Ezekiel was known as a prophet of doom. He prophesied judgment against Judah and Jerusalem; and against the nations. Then in the year 586 BCE (that's more than 2500 years ago), just as the people thought things could not get any worse, came the devastating news that Jerusalem had been destroyed. The holy city lay in ashes. After this Ezekiel's prophecies turned to hope. His task was to make the people believe that things could get better, that Israel could again be a nation in its own right and that Yahweh was Lord. So imagine how the people must have been feeling. Now, let's listen to the story of the Valley of Dry Bones. HEBREW SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Valley of Dry Bones
(The Scripture is read by two voices - God and Ezekiel respectively. At the same time story is mimed as follows by someone dressed as Ezekiel) 2
3 1 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. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord God, you know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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." 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11 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. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you Ezekiel motions upwards then spreads his arms out indicating a valley below. A look of surprise and horror comes to his face as he sees the bones. He walks around looking at the bones. He is silent when the "voice" of Ezekiel speaks the quotes, but continues to mime the story. Ezekiel turns to face the other way to indicate a different time in the story. Children make the bone rattling noise with large beans in jars and or real bones if available from grocery stores. Small pieces of Tupperware inside a larger container makes a great bones sound. Ezekiel continues to mime as the story progresses. Ezekiel turns deliberately in four directions, holding out his arms as if to feel the winds.
4 shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act," says the Lord. Children look at the bones (real or imaginary) - look sad, hopeless. HYMN: Dem Bones (No books allowed - sing with your whole body) Children look surprised and then joyful. Children jump for joy. Choir and children begin to sing "Dem Bones," quietly at first, leading up to a great crescendo. As they sing they motion to the congregation to join in. The teens can move around, motioning the people to stand and move their bodies as they sing. TEEN 1: Weird story! That Ezekiel sounds psychotic to me. (Note - if the children had some real bones to rattle they could be taken out and passed around quietly. Ezekiel may continue to mime what is being discussed here) NARRATOR: Well, some biblical scholars have thought that he was. TEEN 2: Yeah, wasn't he the guy who saw those weird things in the sky? Wheels and animals with wings and things? TEEN 3: Hey, yeah, we sang a song about that at camp. (Some join in a few lines of "Ezekiel saw a wheel a turning." They continue to hum it softly as the Narrator continues) NARRATOR: We have to remember that these were visions. Think of them as dreams that have to be interpreted and explained so that we can understand what they mean for our lives. TEEN 1: But he ate the Bible or something didn't he, thinking he was "inwardly digesting" the word of God? NARRATOR: That was his call and it was just a scroll.
5 TEEN 2: He did other strange things - like lying on one side for 390 days and then on the other side for 40 days. TEEN 1: And he shaved all his body hair off. I mean didn't God call any normal people? NARRATOR: Ancient Hebrews under 30 were forbidden to read the beginning and end of the Book of Ezekiel. It was not read in the Sunagoge. Scholars of that time considered Ezekiel did not quote the Torah or Law correctly. TEEN 2: He was different all right! NARRATOR: Well, prophets were and are extraordinary people. TEEN 3: That's a politically correct way of putting it, I suppose! NARRATOR: A lot of these things were symbolic in nature. Perhaps we might say they were for the visual learners. Many of us forget words but we remember the things we see. Others remember the words more easily than the things they see. The bones were important. Some scholars have said that the bones represented the soul of the people. Their souls were dried up, they had forgotten about God. This vision of Ezekiel's could have been some kind of shock treatment. They desperately needed hope. TEEN 1: If they were hopeless how did they know they needed hope? NARRATOR: Good question! That's why they had to be shown that there was hope. It's one thing to look at a Bible story and see what it meant for the people of that time, but what can it mean for us now? TEENS: (Shrug) TEEN 2: There's a lot of hopelessness today. NARRATOR: I think we need to pray about that. PRAYER OF CONFESSION ALL: LOVING GOD, WE CONFESS THAT WE ARE OFTEN FULL OF DOUBT AND WITHOUT HOPE. WE KNOW THAT YOU LOVE US, YET WE ACT AS THOUGH YOU DON'T. WE WATCH THE TV NEWS WITH HOPELESSNESS, REMEMBERING THE VILLAINS, FORGETTING THE PEACEMAKERS. WE MAGNIFY THE SIGNS OF DESPAIR AND WAIT FOR OTHERS TO DO SOMETHING. WE BECOME PROPHETS OF DOOM FOR OTHERS, FORGETTING OUR CALL TO MINISTER TO EACH OTHER. TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS. HOLY ONE, FORGIVE OUR HOPELESSNESS AND LEAD US FROM THIS TIME OF DRYNESS TO A PLACE WHERE YOUR SPIRIT BLOWS FROM THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, BRINGING NEW LIFE AND HOPE.
6 HEAR NOW, OUR INDIVIDUAL SILENT CONFESSIONS OF DOUBT... ONE: Gracious one, hear our prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen. ASSURANCE OF PARDON ONE: HEAR THE GOOD NEWS, THE HOLY ONE IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL AND WITH THE BREATH OF LIFE OFFERS NEWNESS AND HOPE. NARRATOR: Let's sing another hymn now. You can really hear the bones dance in this one. HYMN: Bones Alive (See separate sheet) PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE ONE: LOVING GOD, YOU SPEAK TO US IN MANY WAYS - THROUGH THE WORDS & IMAGES OF SCRIPTURE, IN THE TRADITIONS OF THE CHURCH THROUGH TIME, THROUGH OUR OWN REASONING AND THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF OURSELVES AND OTHERS. HELP US TO BE ALERT TO YOUR CALL, TO HEED THE TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHETS OF OUR TIME WHO CALL US TO HEAL OUR WORLD AND OURSELVES. SHOW US WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN BE AS CHRIST TO EACH OTHER AND SO HELP TO BRING LIFE TO OUR DRYNESS AND YOUR SHALOM INTO REALITY. GUIDE US, GRACIOUS ONE, AS WE TRY TO LIVE WITH RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLES AND IN HARMONY WITH CREATION. HELP US TO OVERCOME THE ARROGANCE THAT TELLS US WE CAN LIVE WITHOUT YOU. WITHOUT YOU WE ARE AS DRY BONES, BRITTLE, USELESS AND LIFELESS. WE NEED YOUR UNIVERSAL SPIRIT TO BLOW IN US, AROUND US, OVER AND ABOVE US, THAT WE MAY HAVE LIFE AND HOPE. WE PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE, SO THAT WE MIGHT BE AWARE OF YOUR SPIRIT AMONG US. WE PRAY AT THIS TIME FOR THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE DISTRESSED, SICK, LONELY AND TIRED, FOR THE HOMELESS, THE JOBLESS AND THE UNLOVED. LET YOUR SPIRIT SURROUND THEM WITH LOVE AND HOPE. WE ESPECIALLY THINK OF...(current local, national & global concerns may be expressed here) (The prayer is concluded by the singing of Lead me from Death to Life - World Peace Prayer {Satish Kumar/Jim Strathdee} This may be sung as a solo or by the children) CHOIR ANTHEM: Suggestions - Song of Hope (Jim Strathdee); Time of Dryness (Walter Farquharson/Ron Klusmeier); Rise Up (Monks of Weston Priory) (For small Churches with no choir these pieces are available on tape - have a listening time)
7 (Here the Narrator may invite comments, questions from the group gathered around and the congregation, focussing on the problems of dryness apparent today, what prevents the Spirit of God from breathing "life" into us, who are the prophets of our time, what can we do etc. Alternatively, the following script may be used.) TEEN 1: So I suppose we have to ask where are the dry bones today? TEEN 3: And who's going to put life into them? TEEN 2: Well, there's a lot in that Choir piece to get us thinking. Our economy's dried up I would think. Jobs are hard to get. TEEN 3: And if you get one it's hard to keep. TEEN 1: Homeless people must feel like dry bones. TEEN 2: Where is their hope? CHILD 1: They can go to the food bank, can't they? CHILD 2: Sure, they can, cause my mom puts stuff in the box for them at the supermarket. TEEN 3: You can bring food to the Church too and it will get to the food bank or the Shelter House. CHILD 1: If they are dry they need something to drink too. TEEN 3: Water is important. We all need water or our bodies would get very dry. TEEN 2: Yeah, like dry skin in the winter time. NARRATOR: It's an indication of what it must be like. Where else do we see dryness and hopelessness? TEEN 1: People don't come to church the way they used to - at least that's what my Grandma and Granddad say. Everybody used to be at Church on Sundays - like nobody stayed away. How come it's not like that now? NARRATOR: Many people think they don't need God. They forget about God. TEEN 1: Seems like an old story, eh? NARRATOR: For sure. Will we ever learn? TEEN 2: I hope so, if the world is going to get any better in the future. We have to learn.
8 TEEN 1: It seems to me that lots of people are trying to make things better. Maybe it's that vital something that's missing, like when the bones all joined up and the sinew and flesh were all together but they didn't really have life until the Spirit of God came and breathed life into them. NARRATOR: God breathed life into them. That remind you of any other part of the Bible? TEEN 1: Hmm-hmm. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. NARRATOR: Right on, at the birth of the Church, which we celebrate this very day, the Holy Spirit breathed life into it. Let's listen to the Pentecost story. READER: Acts 2:1-21 TEEN 3: Didn't God breathe life into the first people, according to the Book of Genesis? NARRATOR: Right, in the second creation story in Genesis we are told that God made human beings and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life and only then were there living human beings. TEEN 2: It's a story of resurrection in a way too, isn't it? NARRATOR: Well, if resurrection for us means rising up from oppression to justice, from war to peace, from hate to love, then yes I think so. That's what we should be about as the Church in the world today. What do you think? TEEN 1: It's one thing to help with the local food bank or help our friends, but we can't do much about war in far off places. NARRATOR: Can you write? TEEN 1: Well, sure. NARRATOR: Letters to Members of Parliament can do a lot. If you think our government is doing something it shouldn't in terms of foreign affairs, or not doing something it should, then write to your MP - fax, email it, whatever. TEEN 1: One letter won't do much. NARRATOR: Every little bit helps. TEEN 3: We can boycott companies that don't have fair employment, or are not environmentally friendly. TEEN 1: We could help refugees.
9 NARRATOR: That's a great one. TEEN 2: We can use the Internet to talk to people around the world. NARRATOR: Ah yes, the Internet is a great tool. You know, when we read about God's spirit coming in from the four winds in Ezekiel in those times that meant the whole known world. TEEN 1: The whole known world today is much bigger, of course. Wasn't it a Canadian who said we live in a global village? NARRATOR: The late Professor Marshall McLuhan said that and it's so true, especially with the technology we have today. CHILD 2: I know how to go on the Internet. CHILD 1: So do I. NARRATOR: Well, there we have it - a little child shall lead them. I wonder if a prophet can be a child? TEEN 1: Nothing would surprise me after all those rattling bones coming to life! (Children rattle the "bones.") TEEN 3: I'd still like to know who the prophets are today. TEEN 2: How about David Suzuki? TEEN 3: He says the earth will dry up if we don't do something about it soon. TEEN 1: Ralph Nader. TEEN 2: Took a long time for those big companies to listen to Ralph Nader, so he's just like a prophet. NARRATOR: Who else do you think? (The narrator can encourage participation from the congregation or choir, as well as the teens and children. Some names that may be called out - Nellie McClung, Rachel Carson, Ovide Mercredi, Matthew Fox, Bishop Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Pope John 23, Ghandi) NARRATOR: (When there is no more spontaneous conversation) I'm sure you'll think of lots more as time goes by. I think it's time to sing again. Here's one you can really move to. OFFERING OFFERING HYMN: For the Gift of Creation #538
10 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE CLOSING HYMN: "Spirit of Gentleness" #375 or "She Flies on" #380 COMMISSIONING & BENEDICTION - HYMN: May the God of Hope Go with Us (VU #424) (Immediately after the second verse is done perhaps the Narrator and teens can invite the congregation to sing verse 1 again without the books - the words are simple. This is a verse that just begs to be sung over and over with movement) * * * * * * * * * * MUSIC SOURCES VU - Voices United SFGP - Songs for a Gospel People Choir suggestions: Song of Hope in Song of Hope, Desert Flower Music, Po Box 1476, Carmichael CA 95609 Tel: 916 481-2999 Time of Dryness in Gentle Clowns, Klusmeier Music, 250 Dundas St. South, Suite 125, Cambridge, Ontario N1R 8A8 519 622-6332 Rise Up in Rise Up, The Monks of Weston Priory, 58 Priory Hill Road, Weston, VT 05161 802 824-5409 NB - Some of the above may be available from United Church Book Rooms Scripture Speaks (Doreen Lankshear-Smith/Jeeva Sam) Music attached (Words appeared in Gathering Summer-Autumn 1995) Bones Alive! (Doreen Lankshear-Smith/David Abramsky) Music attached