Engraving of “The Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones” by Gustave Doré

Kindred in Christ,

When we look at the world today, it can feel overwhelming. War continues, injustice persists, and so much around us feels fractured or uncertain. It is not hard to find ourselves wondering, “Can anything really change?”

And closer to home, we may ask the same question about our own lives. About strained relationships, unresolved wounds in our families, or parts of ourselves that feel stuck. Can change happen there too?

This Sunday, as we continue our Lenten series The Work of Imagination, we sit with that very question from the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1–14). In his vision, he stands in a valley of dry bones, surrounded by what seems beyond repair. He confronts the question, “Can these bones live?”

God begins to move. There is a rattling. There is a coming together. There is breath.

In the Gospel, Jesus stands at the tomb of his friend Lazarus (John 11:17–44). He weeps with those who mourn, and then calls life out of death. He reminds us that resurrection is not only something we wait for in the future, but something God is already bringing to life among us.

Together, these stories invite us to see differently. Where we see endings, God is creating beginnings. Where we see what feels lifeless, God is already breathing new life.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we continue this Lenten journey and open ourselves to the Spirit’s work of renewal in our lives and in our world.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz