October 16

Our church is having a Harvest festival as an alternative to Halloween. As I was researching Bible stories that I could use as a theme for a game or booth, I came across a rather weird story about a creepy old bone yard. It’s the perfect story for this season, with all its ghoulish shenanigans, except that it might be too much for a carnival for little kids. However, it is the perfect story to explain how amazing God is and shows what He can do with a bunch of old bones. This, like all Old Testament stories, points to Jesus. It might not seem that way at first, but once you hear the whole story, you realize it’s about the resurrection of the dead, and those lifeless souls who are dry and dusty coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Not only that, but it is a commissioning of the servants to preach to the unsaved, though it might seem futile, we are to do just as Ezekiel did in this vision, and keep preaching to those lifeless bones in the hopes that God will breathe life into them. I find this to be very encouraging, especially when there are those we love who are stubborn and won’t submit to the authority of Jesus and accept Him as Savior. We must keep speaking life into them and commanding the slain to breathe. Go to your Bible and read this story, especially those of you who love Halloween and darker themes, because it still includes death and darkness, but with the focus being on life, which is what we, as Christ followers, are all about. This story is found in Ezekiel 37:1-14

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. Ezekiel 37:11-12