A sermon delivered at Evening Devotion
Malawi UMC Pastor’s Training
13 February 2009
Ezekiel 37: 1 – 10
“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… and I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.”
Now that I have heard the history of the United Methodist Church in Malawi, I know that if someone had asked about the United Methodist in Malawi 20 years ago, they would have said, “It’s just a bunch of dry bones.” When I first heard about Malawi at Belmont UMC five years ago, all I knew about were the dry bones here. And even last year as Belmont was asked to raise money for churches, we still pictured dry bones. And just last week in the Johannesburg airport, when I told someone I was going to Malawi he said, “why?!” He thought that there were only dry bones here.
But the Malawi United Methodist Church will be dry bones no more!
The Lord has shown [the pastors here] the dry bones and asked if you believe they will live. You have heard God’s command to prophesy and responded. You have proclaimed the word of God. You have believed that the breath of God will enter these bones. You know that these are dry bones no more!
I have heard how new leadership has sprung forth in Superintendent Mhone and how sinews have been laid on the bones. I have met newly ordained, Rev. Mbewe and know that the bones are being covered with skin. And as new leaders rise up and circuits expand, flesh comes upon them. I have witnessed the Christmas miracle offering and know that the skeleton is being rebuilt. These are dry bones no more!
But even as the congregations grow, committees are formed and churches are built, you have not stopped with empty structures. You heard the Lord say again, ‘Prophesy to the breath… breathe upon these slain that they may live.’ And the Spirit of God has filled the Malawi United Methodist Church. These are dry bones no more!
And I have seen and heard evidence of the Holy Spirit alive and moving in Malawi… in the nursery school at Mpena UMC where young children learn English and stories of the faith. In the witness of converts to the church who are inspired and empowered by the Good News of Jesus Christ that is not kept cloistered by the clergy, but shared with the people. I have seen grand churches of other denominations in the cities of Malawi, but when the UMC is blessed with a miracle offering from Belmont UMC, you chose not to build one large church for the world to see, but 16 churches for the people of Malawi. And the Spirit has moved far beyond this land to invite missionaries to sell what they have and move to Malawi to be in ministry with you. These are surely dry bones no more!
This is a church alive, standing on its own feet, a vast multitude! Amen!
I loved this description of the church at Malawi. Just think, when you go this summer, you will also participate in bringing life to the dry bones. What joy!
Sylvia