Last Sunday we began to look at how our perceptions can affect the way our journey can proceed. What we see and what we believe is often influenced by our social status and social learning that we receive from our family, church, and culture. During the service I used some optical illusions to help point out our expectations and assumptions and how they may influence our attitudes and our beliefs. The concern that I have is that sometimes we can make decisions based on our perceptions and not take time to try to understand another point of view. This is can lead to serious breakdowns in communication not just between individuals but also can cause the lack of communication even among nations. The greatest breakdown in communication is certainly stated in scriptures with the assumptions of what is holy and what is righteous based on either cultural expectations or God's expectations. The stories of Samuel choosing the new king and the blind man in the gospel of John.
This Sunday we will be looking at the story of Lazarus in John and Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. I would ask you to reflect on those stories and what they might mean for you. Have their been any times in our life that you have felt lifeless, disconnected, disorganized to the point that you might feel like giving up. How did you get through those times or if it is happening today what gets you through the day? The question Ezekiel asks that I believe is still pertinent today is ,"Can these bones live?" Read the scripture Ezekiel 37:1-14. How would you answer?
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