In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit
God commands Ezekiel to breathe on dry bones. These dry bones covered with skin and muscles need something to live. They need air. God says to Ezekiel Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’” It’s strange how God considers those who have not heard the Word of the Lord as slain. They are dead. They haven’t lived until they receive the Breath of Life.
You are dead if the Breath of Life is not in you. This Sunday is sometimes called “Low Sunday” because church attendance is so low compared to last Sunday. The joy of new leaven returns to the bland taste of old leaven. Some have made their last appearance in God’s House for a while. They won’t breathe the air of grace until December 25th or later.
Consider another illustration that perhaps hits a little closer to home. When you fly an airplane, the flight attendants always go over the emergency instructions in case of the unthinkable. Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks drop from above your head. What are you supposed to do should those masks drop? The polite thing to do is to help your neighbor with his mask, then put on your mask. Unbelievably, preserving your own life comes before your neighbor’s life. You put on your oxygen mask first, then help your neighbor. You must breathe good air before you help your neighbor breathe good air.
Let’s take the flight attendant’s instructions into this congregation. You and I want those who are slain because they do not breathe the air of grace to live. How can you help them live in Christ Jesus if you do not live in Him first? How can you give an answer for the hope in you if you know very little about that hope except what you learned in Sunday School or youth confirmation instruction or adult instruction? A Christian congregation without people who study God’s Word diligently should perhaps be considered a social club rather than a Christian congregation. If you have not attended Bible Study recently, or if you have never attended Bible Study, now is a perfect time to breathe in the air of God’s Word with us on either Sunday morning or on Tuesday evening.
What if you stopped breathing right now and decided to breathe again in six months. You will die before six months pass. The same thing happens when you neglect the Divine Service for “better things to do” on the weekend. The church doors are open, the church bells ring, but you pass by holding your breath. You think you can make it a little while longer before taking another breath.
Sin robs you of your breath every time you fall short of our heavenly Father’s mark of perfect excellence. The Law punches you in the gut, robbing your lungs of air. The blows take their toll. One day soon, sin will rob you of your breath. You will die.
Yet Psalm 130 proclaims, if You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. The Eleven standing in that locked room had a different kind of fear than the Psalmist describes. They were genuinely afraid of what they heard. An empty tomb. Reports of Jesus appearing to different people. The Eleven feared for their lives thinking the Jews would perhaps hand them over to die or make them answer for Jesus’ missing body. Then Christ enters the locked room. He is not a ghost. They touch His hands and side. He lives. He breathes on them. His breath is peace and life. His breath on them brings the dead back to life in Christ.
Jesus’ wounds bring forgiveness. This is why Jesus bids them to touch Him. Jesus is not a ghost. They do not see an apparition. This is not a shared hallucination. This is the resurrected body of God’s only Son standing in their midst in the flesh. Unbelieving Thomas becomes believing Thomas one week after our Lord’s first appearance to the Eleven. Seeing is believing for Thomas. For you who weren’t there that night Jesus has comforting words: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Christ’s presence is often bothersome. Christ’s crucified body hanging on a cross makes some recoil. A statue of Christ with wounded hands and side make others uncomfortable. Do not be afraid of these images. It is good to see Jesus with fresh wounds. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Where there is blood, there is life. Where there is life, there is the Holy Spirit bringing forgiveness and life. The Holy Spirit brings the gifts of God to the people of God. That’s what He does. He doesn’t bring magic tricks from a supernatural illusion. He brings the Father’s joy to His children in things you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.
The Holy Spirit brings you to the font, where your sins were washed away and you were united with Jesus Christ. The Spirit brings you to the altar, where Christ’s Body and Blood go in your mouth to bestow you with His forgiveness and life. The Spirit brings you to the pulpit, where Christ’s Word of victory over sin and death go in your ears and plant home the Good News of eternal life.
Where the breath of God blows, there is life. His breath in you gives you breath to speak the confidence of your salvation to those who are slain in their sins. His breath forgives you. His breath brings you life. His breath will call out your name on Judgment Day as one pardoned by the blood of Jesus Christ. Blessed are you who have not seen, but believe the breath of God that blows when and where it wills.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit