Thought for the Week 22 March 2026

Kia Ora E Te Whanau

This Sunday, in the fifth week of Lent, we hear three remarkable readings that draw us toward Holy Week: Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, Paul’s promise of the Spirit’s life-giving power, and Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb. Each passage asks the same searching question: “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel stands among bones “long dried out, bleached by sun and time,” yet God breathes life where hope has vanished. In John 11, Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life,” revealing that God’s restoring power is real and present. Paul reminds us that the same Spirit who raised Jesus now dwells in us, breathing hope into weary places.

As autumn settles around us and we move toward Holy Week, we are invited to trust that no valley is too dry for God. The God who raised Lazarus — and raised Jesus — is still raising us.

Holy God, open our hearts to your living Word. Speak to us as you spoke to Ezekiel, call us as you called Lazarus, and breathe your Spirit into us so that we may hear, believe, and live. Amen.

Steve