"With the toe bone connected to the foot bone,
and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, and the ankle bone
connected to the leg bone. Oh hear the word of the Lord!"
Do you remember the old spiritual, "Dem Bones"? Civil rights pioneer, author, diplomat, and song writer James Weldon Johnson is credited with setting these old words to music nearly a century ago. There are many verses for there are many "connections" of bones within the human body. The poem was inspired by the valley of dry bones story in Ezekiel as God brings life to lifeless bones through the prophet's words.
When I read our text for today, it reminded me of this old song. There is a pattern in today's text, one characteristic of maturity in Christ building upon another, somewhat like the bones building on or connecting to one another in the spiritual. Peter writes, "...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." (II Peter 1:5-7) This is a pattern of Christ-like living that recognizes the progression of faith which moves us ever closer to a genuine reflection of the One who established himself as "...the way, the truth, and the life."
It seems to me that these connections...faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love, fit very well in the context of our Lenten journey; one building on another just as one footstep follows another on the road to the cross. "...Oh hear the word of the Lord."
Jim Abernathy
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