As we gather for worship this coming Sunday, we will continue our new series of messages from the prophecy of Ezekiel.  Our focal passage for the sermon will be Ezekiel 1:4 where we learn of the prophet’s experience of the presence of the Lord in the form of “a stormy wind out of the north,” a heavenly hurricane.

This dramatic encounter with God, known as a ‘theophany,’ occurred in association with the massive shift that took place in Ezekiel’s life.  Though he was in the midst of his training to be a priest, the Lord had other plans for the young son of Buzi.  He would now be a prophet of God!

However, before he could become that special messenger of the Lord, he had to get to know Israel’s God more completely.  It would be in the arrival of the desert hurricane that the young prophet would discover the sovereignty and holiness of the God for whom he would serve as spokesman.

As we continue to study this prophetic book together in the weeks to come, let me suggest the following outline for your reading and preparation (our future sermons will follow this structure):

1:5-14–The vision of the living creatures

1:15-21–The vision of the wheels

1:22-28–The vision of the glorious throne

2:1-10–The prophet’s call clarified