Alberta Adventis News June 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

REVIVAL IN A PANDEMIC

When my middle son was about five years old, my family and I visited the Tyrel Museum in Drumheller. It is a fascinating place to visit, to see all those imposing skeletal remains of prehistoric creatures. As we were visiting that day, we noticed a special feature was offered that afternoon. You could go on a dig with the scientists, and be taken out by bus to the excavation site. Our son was at a time in his life when he was enamored by dinosaurs, and really wanted to go. Although reluctant to send him, we finally agreed. We were there to pick him up at the designated time, and he came off the bus with a plaster cast of his find for the day — a baby dinosaur. His excitement was palpable. He told us that “dead bones can speak to us.”

This incident reminds me of the story found in Ezekiel 37:1-5: “1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The context of this passage is that the nation of Israel is in captivity in Babylon. It seemed that their national identity was gone forever and that the people would never return to the promised land.

The purpose of this vision/miracle was to inspire the people with hope. God can restore us to life even when things seem desperate. As I write this, we are in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic. There are over 50,000 cases in Canada, and we just recorded 3,000 deaths. Many people have lost their employment, schools are closed, and we are unsure of the way forward.

As “church people,” we are feeling the impact of this pandemic in a personal way. Our churches are closed, and we are limited to virtual meetings. Many people feel that their hearts, their faith, and their trust is dried out. They feel like they are residents in the valley of bones. There have been so many disappointments, heartaches, days alone, and hospital bedsides.

God reassured the people of Ezekiel’s day with these words, “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” In just a few years, God would bring his people home to the Promised Land. He would restore all things and make all things new. God promises the same for us. This pandemic will come to an end, and our faith will take us through. We will worship together again, sing the songs of victory and rejoice in God’s salvation. God will make these dry bones live once more.

Gary Hodder, President Alberta Conference