READINGS Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 11:1-45

“I will put my spirit within you and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you

shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.” Ezekiel 37:14

I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me,

will never die. John 11:25

Reader 1: This week we walk closer toward death. Our journey takes us into a valley of

bones; into a place where Jesus weeps for a lost friend.

Reader 2: Today, death is never far from our consciousness. We need only open our

newspapers to hear of children lost to rebel bombs. Our friends are claimed by sickness

and disease.

Reader 1: On this journey we’re reminded that Jesus is life; that God speaks and dry bones

are knit together. On this journey we’re reminded that within the darkest places,

God’s Spirit whispers hope.

Reader 2: On this journey, do we see the gift of life we are invited to receive even amidst death?

Reader 1: In Maluku, Indonesia, death has stalked the community in the form of religious violence

that took the lives of more than 5000 Muslims and Christians and created more than

a million displaced people over the last two decades. But death has not triumphed in these

communities.

Reader 2: Women of both religions are reaching out to one another to form businesses that generate incomes for their families and sow

the seeds of peace.

Reader 1: Our partner, the Protestant Church of Maluku, holds to the promise of resurrection and life, of renewal in the midst of suffering.

Their example calls to us in our own valley of dry bones – will we choose to live?

Let us pray. Resurrected Christ You promise life. In the valley of dry bones We hear your voice: “You shall live” At the grave of a friend We hear your voice: “You shall live” In places of conflict, where peace seems impossible and death likely to triumph We hear your voice: “You shall live.” We pray today for our sisters in Maluku who are connecting with one another for life: Creating new opportunities not only to work side by side and earn income for their families But helping to heal decades of pain and paving a way to a new future. We celebrate with them new possibilities and draw courage from their example: Even in the midst of great suffering and darkness New life emerges. Amen.