A couple of years ago I was smitten in my heart by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2. Listen to it:

“The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them. ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’ And whether they listen – for they are a rebellious house – they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (NIV)

Get the setting in mind. Ezekiel is sharing his personal story of God coming to him in a vision, and calling him as a prophet/priest. The account is a vivid but complex one – full of imagery, easy to get lost in. Yet, deliberate reading and reflection yields the essence of the story.

Ezekiel sees the “glory of Yahweh” coming down from heaven. It is so overwhelming that he falls on his fa…