St. James Lectionary Bible Study for 03 22 2026

St. James Presbyterian Church
Bible Study Companion Guide
Fifth Sunday in Lent — March 22, 2026
Theme: Unbind
 
Scriptures for the Week
Psalm 130            Ezekiel 37:1–14    Romans 8:6–11     John 11:1–45
 
Our Lenten Journey
Throughout Lent we have followed a spiritual path through the Gospel stories, guided by verbs that describe how Christ restores life.
                             *Standing * Lifting *Rising *Seeing

Now, in this final week before Holy Week, we arrive at the last movement of the season: *Unbinding.*

In the story of Lazarus, Jesus does not simply raise a man from the dead. He calls a community to participate in restoring someone to life by removing the grave clothes that still bind him. The scriptures this week explore how God meets people in places that feel exhausted, buried, or overwhelmed—and breathes life again.
 
Psalm 130 — Crying from the Depths
The Psalm for this week begins with a deeply human prayer: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.”
Many people know what those depths feel like. They are the moments when life becomes heavy with grief, guilt, uncertainty, or exhaustion. Yet the psalm does not remain in despair. Instead, it slowly moves toward hope.

The writer speaks of waiting for God “more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Imagine someone standing through the long darkness of night, watching the horizon for the first light of dawn. Faith, the psalm suggests, often looks like this kind of waiting—trusting that light will come even when it cannot yet be seen.
 
Ezekiel 37:1–14 — When Hope Feels Lost
In Ezekiel’s vision, the prophet stands in a valley filled with dry bones. These bones represent a people who feel defeated and scattered. Israel is in exile, far from home, and many believe their future is finished.

God asks Ezekiel a haunting question: “Can these bones live?” The bones begin to come together. Flesh returns. But it is not until God’s breath—the Spirit—enters them that life truly returns. What once looked like the end becomes the beginning of restoration.

This vision reminds us that God is not intimidated by what appears lifeless or beyond repair. Where people see only dryness and loss, God sees the possibility of breath.
 
Romans 8:6–11 — The Spirit That Gives Life
In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul reflects on two ways of living. One way is shaped by fear, anxiety, and self‑protection. The other is shaped by the Spirit of God.

Paul’s message is hopeful: the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is already at work within believers. Resurrection is not only a promise for the future—it is a reality that begins now whenever God’s Spirit renews our hearts and imaginations. Life in the Spirit does not remove hardship, but it does open the possibility of peace, courage, and new beginnings.
 
John 11:1–45 — “Unbind Him”
The Gospel tells the story of Lazarus, a beloved friend of Jesus who has died. When Jesus arrives in Bethany, Martha and Mary are grieving deeply. In the midst of their sorrow, Jesus speaks a powerful truth: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Standing before the tomb, Jesus calls out, “Lazarus, come out!” To everyone’s astonishment, Lazarus emerges alive. But he is still wrapped in burial cloths, the garments of the grave. Then Jesus turns to the people gathered there and gives them an instruction: “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The miracle does not end with Lazarus walking out of the tomb. It continues as the community helps remove what still holds him captive. In this way the story reminds us that resurrection is not only God’s work—it also calls us to help free one another from whatever keeps life from flourishing.
 
Reflection for the Week
Across these scriptures we see a common movement:
·      A cry from the depths.
·      Dry bones receiving breath.
·      The Spirit bringing life.
·      A community unbinding what death tried to hold.
 
Again and again the message is the same: God’s life is stronger than the places that feel final.
 
Questions for Prayer and Reflection
When have you experienced a season that felt like “the depths” described in Psalm 130?
1. Where in your life or community do things feel like “dry bones”?
2. What might it mean for you to participate in God’s work of unbinding others?
 
Practice for the Week
• Notice where life feels heavy or buried. Bring that place honestly before God in prayer.
• Offer encouragement to someone who may feel bound by grief, worry, or isolation.
• Spend a few moments each day in quiet waiting, allowing space for hope to rise.
 
Closing Prayer
God of breath and new life, when we cry from the depths, you hear us.
When hope feels scattered like dry bones, your Spirit moves again.
Teach us to trust your life at work within us and give us courage to help unbind one another from all that diminishes life.
Through Christ, the resurrection and the life. Amen.