Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Dry Bones
Reading: Ezekiel 37-36 “Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, Oh, hear the word of the Lord… Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun’ Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk aroun’ Dem bones, dem bones, gonna walk aroun’ Oh, hear the word of the Lord.” These are some of the words to a Negro Spiritual written by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938). He used it to teach children basic anatomy (though some of the anatomical descriptions aren’t quite right). The song was based on the first 14 verses of Ezekiel 37. God spirits Ezekiel away to a valley where the Almighty shows his prophet a pile of dead bones. He tells Ezekiel to announce to the bones that God is going to bring them back to life, to reattach the tendons, to join the bones, to put flesh on them, and to breath life into them once again. As Ezekiel speaks the words of the first prophecy, the bones in the valley come together with a great rattling sound. But i...