The Godly Play story of the Prophet Ezekiel
|
|
Ezekiel was deported from Jerusalem in 598 with some 10,000 elite of the city. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah, but his call to be a prophet came on the banks of the Chebar in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1). With the exception of 1:2-3, this book is almost completely made up of his personal visions. They were shared with others and written down in his own house.
|
DRY NOODLES
Most children love mac and cheese! Macaroni noodles remind me of a story in the Bible. It is the story of the prophet Ezekiel. God took Ezekiel and showed him a valley that was filled with dry bones. These bones were scattered all around and there was no life in them. God spoke to Ezekiel and asked him, "Can these bones live again?"
Initially, Ezekiel didn't know what to say. Then he responded: "O LORD, only you know the answer to that."
God spoke to Ezekiel again and said, "Speak to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: Look! I will put breath into you and you will come to life.'"
When you look at uncooked macaroni -- it is dry, hard and not very appetizing at all. It looks like nothing can help it - nothing good can come of it. But don’t we know better? We know that if we boil macaroni for ten minutes and add some milk and cheese, we will have something very yummy.
That's the way it is when we face something that is very hard in our lives. Sometimes it is hard to think that anything good can happen. That everything is like it was in the valley of dry bones and we are without hope. But just as those dry uncooked noodles can be turned into macaroni and cheese, we know that the hard things in our life can become a lot better. Just as God brought life to the valley of dry bones with the breath of his Holy Spirit, God can make bad things better in our lives too. He does this for us when we trust him.
Next time your family prepares mac and cheese ask your children to think about how dry, crunchy and bland uncooked noodles are. Then as your family is devouring the mac and cheese reflect on how things can transform to something yummy! It’s important to remember that when we face hard things and life seems hopeless there is always something YUMMY for God’s people. That yummy ingredient is HOPE!
Initially, Ezekiel didn't know what to say. Then he responded: "O LORD, only you know the answer to that."
God spoke to Ezekiel again and said, "Speak to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: Look! I will put breath into you and you will come to life.'"
When you look at uncooked macaroni -- it is dry, hard and not very appetizing at all. It looks like nothing can help it - nothing good can come of it. But don’t we know better? We know that if we boil macaroni for ten minutes and add some milk and cheese, we will have something very yummy.
That's the way it is when we face something that is very hard in our lives. Sometimes it is hard to think that anything good can happen. That everything is like it was in the valley of dry bones and we are without hope. But just as those dry uncooked noodles can be turned into macaroni and cheese, we know that the hard things in our life can become a lot better. Just as God brought life to the valley of dry bones with the breath of his Holy Spirit, God can make bad things better in our lives too. He does this for us when we trust him.
Next time your family prepares mac and cheese ask your children to think about how dry, crunchy and bland uncooked noodles are. Then as your family is devouring the mac and cheese reflect on how things can transform to something yummy! It’s important to remember that when we face hard things and life seems hopeless there is always something YUMMY for God’s people. That yummy ingredient is HOPE!
