“I See Dead People”

I can’t believe it’s been so long since that movie came out. That’s the year Linda and I were married - it’s even the same month!

A person can’t see that movie the same way twice. The Sixth Sense is one I’d like to forget the spoilers and watch again, but I can’t. Same with The Game. Once you know the spoilers, it’s not the same movie.

Now, other movies aren’t like that. Take, for instance, another of my favorite movies: Die Hard. A person can watch that a dozen times and get the same experience every time. And yes, it’s as much a Christmas movie as Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life.

The Bible is like The Sixth Sense. Once you know the spoilers you can’t read it the same way ever again. There’s something new and exciting every time.

Back in my ELCA days, during Confirmation, I recall hearing a sermon talking about Ezekiel and the valley of dead, dry bones. God tells Ezekiel to “prophesy” to the bones. He did, and the bones were eventually covered with flesh and blood and became alive.

“Whaaaat?” Obviously I didn’t get it.

Now I see dead people. They’re everywhere, and they don’t even know they’re dead. Like in the movie, the first step to saving dead people is to convince them they’re dead. Now, I’m not saying, “Check for a pulse. Call 911!” Rather, they stand in opposition to God and are in danger of being forever separated from all that is good - God Himself.

If you’re on a boat, holding a life preserver, and see a drowning person a few yards away from the boat, the only rational thing to do is throw them the life preserver. That’s what I’m doing with these messages - throwing the life preserver of the good news (which is literally what “gospel” means) to people who are at risk of drowning.

Imagine another scenario:

A person is standing in the road. A bus is coming. I’m on the sidewalk. If I don’t shout to the person, “Hey! A bus is coming,” what kind of person would that make me?

The Bible is a life preserver. It’s a shout to get out of the road before the bus flattens you.

What kind of loving Christian would I be if I didn’t prophesy to the dead, dry bones I see everywhere? In Ezekiel the Word of God (Jesus) brought the bones to life.

SPOILER ALERT!

You can live, too.