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Introduction: Welcoming the Holy Spirit
Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit and having your Spirit in this place. My prayer is that what I share today would be pleasing to you and practical for all of us as we apply your Word to our lives.
A Resurrection Plant—A Living Lesson
After a night filled with trick-or-treating and the extra hour of sleep, it’s fitting that we come to the line in the Apostles’ Creed: "I believe in the Holy Spirit."
Let me show you a visual—have you ever heard of a resurrection plant? It looks brown, brittle, and dead when dry. It can stay that way for years. But the moment you add water, life reemerges: it opens, gets green, and revives. The plant was never dead; life was just waiting for the rain.
Hold on to this image, but remember: in the story from Ezekiel 37, the valley in question isn’t hiding any life like the resurrection plant. It’s a valley of dry, dead bones.
The Holy Spirit in the Creed
We’ve been working through the Apostles' Creed, line by line. Today, the simple phrase "I believe in the Holy Spirit" draws our focus. Some of you may remember the older translation, "I believe in the Holy Ghost," which essentially means the Spirit or the breath. That meaning—breath—matters profoundly for today’s passage.
The Creed places the Holy Spirit right alongside God the Father and Jesus the Son, teaching us that the Spirit is equally divine and trustworthy. The Nicene Creed calls the Spirit "the Lord, the giver of life," the very title we also give to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit: The Giver of Life
Some people feel uncomfortable talking about the Holy Spirit. Some churches lean heavily into the Spirit; others barely mention Him. Many of us are comfortable with God the Father and Son, but we’re not always sure what to do with the Spirit. The Spirit can feel harder to pin down—sometimes, even the "forgotten" member of the Trinity.
But the Spirit is anything but an afterthought. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters before creation, before light or life appeared. When God formed Adam from dust, it was the breath (Spirit) of God that brought him to life.
Ezekiel 37: A Valley of Dry Bones
Ezekiel, a priest living in exile in Babylon, hears that Jerusalem has fallen and that the temple is destroyed—his people are scattered. In that place of despair, God gives Ezekiel a vision:
Ezekiel is led by the Spirit into a valley filled with dry bones. These bones are "very dry"—dead for a long time. Unlike the resurrection plant, there is no hidden life here, no moisture, nothing waiting to spring back. God asks, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel answers honestly, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones: "Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life." God promises to attach tendons, flesh, skin—and to put breath into these bodies so they will live.
Ezekiel preaches as commanded. Suddenly there’s a rattling; bones come together, flesh appears, skin covers them. But there’s still no breath—no life.
God instructs him further: "Prophesy to the breath... Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live." As Ezekiel does this, breath enters them—they come to life and stand as a vast army.
The word here—ruach—means breath, wind, or spirit. The same ruach that hovered over the waters at creation now fills these bodies. The source of life is God’s own Spirit.
The Message to God’s People: Hope and Restoration
God reveals the meaning: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel." They say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is gone." Yet God’s response is, "My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them... I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live."
No matter how hopeless or cut off we may feel, God claims us as His own. Even if we feel spiritually dead, He promises to give His own Spirit—and with it, life.
The Same Spirit Lives in Us
Fast forward six hundred years. Paul writes to the Romans that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. The Spirit that raised Christ will also give life to our mortal bodies. That is what we declare when we say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit."
Our Calling: Preach the Word, Ask for Breath
What was Ezekiel asked to do? Two things: preach the Word and ask for breath. He didn’t knit the bones together—God did. In the same way, Presbyterians have long taught that it’s the Spirit of God who makes the preaching of the Word effective. Words alone are not enough—it is the breath of God that brings life.
We don’t have to choose between order and the Spirit. Ezekiel’s vision shows both: bones come together in order, and then life comes by the Spirit’s breath.
Practical Steps: Inviting the Holy Spirit Daily
Jesus said in Luke 11 that our Father in heaven gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Start your day by praying, "Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on me." Let that become your daily prayer.
Paul says that when we are filled with the Spirit, we give thanks for everything. When complaints or irritations arise, pause and pray, "Holy Spirit, come, breathe in me." Then, as a spiritual exercise, write down something you are grateful for and put it in a jar. By Thanksgiving, you’ll see countless fingerprints of the Spirit’s work in your life.
Life by the Holy Spirit: Beyond Grit
Unlike an injured athlete driven by grit, the bones in Ezekiel’s valley could not revive themselves. Their only hope was the breath of God. May our lives be unexplainable apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.
Ask yourself: What part of your life looks okay on the outside but might be a little dead inside? That’s where you can pray, "Holy Spirit, breathe in me." If you’re in that valley where hope feels gone, don’t sit alone—reach out. This is what the church is for.
The Spirit Brings Unity
When God’s breath came, the bones didn’t stand up and wander off alone. They became a vast army—together. The Spirit doesn’t just give life; He makes us a people.
Let’s ask God to do in our church what He did in that valley. Let’s remember: the church is what happens when God breathes on dry bones.
Conclusion: Come, Holy Spirit
This month, when complaints arise, remember that valley. Pray, "Come, Holy Spirit, come." Allow the Spirit, the Giver of Life, to breathe new life into every part of us—so we may stand together as one people, filled with hope and gratitude.
Holy Spirit, you were moving over the waters before anything existed. You raised Jesus from the dead. There are places in our lives and in this church that aren’t breathing. Come, breathe on us. For anyone whose hope feels gone, put new life in them. Make us one people standing together, to your glory. Amen.
Let’s live as those who truly believe: "I believe in the Holy Spirit."
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Opening Prayer
Begin your discussion with a brief prayer inviting the Holy Spirit’s guidance and presence.
Warm-up Questions
Have you ever experienced a time in your life that felt spiritually “dry” or hopeless?
Can you recall an example from your own life where you saw God bring life or hope where there seemed to be none?
Exploring the Text & Sermon
1. The Holy Spirit as Giver of Life
Key Concept:
The conversation focused on the truth that the Holy Spirit is “the Lord, the giver of life”—not a vague force, but God’s personal, life-giving presence.
Reflect: “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Why do you think this phrase is given equal weight with belief in the Father and the Son in the Apostles’ Creed?
Discuss: How does understanding the Holy Spirit as “breath” or “wind” affect the way we think about God’s presence?
2. Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley
Key Theme:
The discussion explored Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones as a picture of complete hopelessness, where only God can bring life.
Read Together: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Reflect: What does the valley of dry bones say about our human inability to create spiritual life by our own effort?
Discuss: “There was nothing in those bones waiting for any rain. They're dead. And if anything’s going to live in that valley, the life has to come from somewhere else.”
3. The Church and the Holy Spirit
Key Concept:
A key theme that emerged was the warning against treating the Holy Spirit as “the forgotten member of the Trinity.” The health and vitality of the church depend on the Spirit’s presence.
Discuss: What are some ways churches lean too far into or avoid talking about the Holy Spirit? Why is balance important?
Reflect: In what ways can your faith community ensure that the Holy Spirit is honored and sought after in your life together?
Consider: “You can have all the parts in place...but you might not have life.” Where might you see this principle at work?
4. Spiritual Practices and Application
Several points were raised, including:
The importance of praying for the Holy Spirit’s presence, especially in moments of spiritual dryness
The call to gratitude and unity as fruits of being filled with the Spirit
Practice Together: Try praying, “Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on me,” especially as you start your day or when you face moments of irritation or discouragement.
Reflect: Are there areas in your life that feel “dead on the inside”? How might inviting the Holy Spirit in bring new life?
Challenge: This month, replace complaints with thanks. When you feel that irritation arise, pray and jot down something for which you are grateful.
5. The Spirit Makes Us a People
The discussion explored:
The Spirit not only gives individual life, but also creates unity in the church.
Discuss: “When the Spirit breathes, he makes a people.” How does the Holy Spirit create unity out of diversity within the church?
Reflect: Where do you see the need for new unity or healing within your own congregation or family?
Closing Prayer
Invite group members to pray for one another, specifically asking God to fill them afresh with the Holy Spirit and to breathe new life into any “dry bones” in their lives or church.
Optional Activities
Consider starting a gratitude jar for the group, collecting notes of thanks each week and reading them aloud at the end of the month.
Commit to praying daily for the Holy Spirit’s presence and leading, both individually and as a congregation.
May this discussion guide help your group deepen its understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit | Ezekiel 37:1-14
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