Every Family in God's Service

“Judgment & Mercy in Ezekiel”

The early church fathers called the book of Ezekiel “difficult.” Some early Jewish rabbis considered it dangerous. A lot of us have despaired of figuring out God’s message in Ezekiel’s pages and so have ignored this last of the “major prophets” for a long time.

It appears that Ezekiel was a quirky guy. His sermon illustrations, more than a dozen one-man one-act plays, display a flair for the dramatic. Abraham Heschel, the 20^th century’s foremost authority on Old Testament prophets, called Ezekiel an “ecstatic dervish, half terrible and half amusing.”

But God spoke to his people nearly 2,700 years ago through his prophet, Ezekiel. And through his prophet, Ezekiel, God speaks to his people today.

This week we begin a two-month series on Ezekiel’s words of divine judgment and grace.

Sunday Aug. 1     “Know That I Am the Lord”     Ezekiel 6:1-14

Sunday Aug. 8       “O Worship the King”     Ezekiel 8:1-18

Sunday Aug. 15     “The Hope & Threat of Change”     Ezekiel 18:1-32

Sunday Aug. 29     “Nothing More to Say”     Ezekiel 24:15-27

Sunday Sep. 5      “The Lord is our Shepherd”     Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sunday Sep. 19     “For My Name’s Sake”      Ezekiel 36:16-38

Sunday Sep. 26     “And You Will Live”      Ezekiel 37:1-14

Ezekiel speaks to God’s people in crisis. Major crisis. He begins by clearly depicting the end of the road for God’s rebellious children. And he closes by showing that the end of the road is not the end of the story. Even his people’s sinfulness and rebellion cannot ultimately prevail against God’s love and grace.

I’m looking forward to how the Holy Spirit is going to teach us from the Scriptures: where he will rebuke us, how he will correct us, and how he will train us for righteousness.

Peace,

Allan