5th Sunday of Lent 2026: March 22

As we enter the final weeks of Lent, the readings focus on the theme of life emerging from seemingly hopeless situations. On the 5th Sunday of Lent 2026, we reflect on the prophet Ezekiel, who describes a valley filled with dry bones that God’s breath restores to life. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells within us. In the Gospel, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, demonstrating that He is the resurrection and the life.

These readings encourage us to believe that God’s Spirit continues to work, bringing renewal and hope. Even when circumstances seem dead or irreparable, God’s promise remains that new life is still possible.

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The Collect for the 5th Sunday of Lent

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent

Here are the readings for the service

Old Testament – Ezekiel 37:1–14

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.

He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”
I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’
Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.
I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.

Psalm – Psalm 130

Epistle – Romans 8:8–11

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Gospel – John 11:1–45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.
So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

(For length reasons on many church websites, the rest of the passage is usually summarized or continued.)

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.”

Jesus went to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” After praying, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and Jesus said, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Many of the Jews who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him.

Reflection on the Readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent 2026

Old Testament – Ezekiel 37:1–14

The prophet Ezekiel is taken by the Spirit to a valley filled with dry bones, creating a powerful image of hopelessness and defeat. God asks Ezekiel whether these bones can live again, and the prophet wisely responds that only God knows the answer. At God’s command, Ezekiel prophesies to the bones, and they begin to come together—bone connecting with bone—until they are covered with flesh. However, they remain lifeless until the breath of God enters them.

This vision reveals God’s promise to restore Israel after exile. Even when hope seems completely lost, God has the power to bring life back. The breath that restores these bones is the same life-giving Spirit that renews God’s people.

Psalm – Psalm 130

Psalm 130 is a penitential psalm that begins with the famous cry, “Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord.” The psalmist expresses profound trust in God’s mercy, acknowledging that if the Lord kept a record of sins, no one would be able to stand before Him.

Yet the psalm shifts from despair to hope. The writer waits for the Lord as watchmen wait for the morning, confident that God’s redemption will arrive. During Lent, this psalm reminds us that no sin or suffering is beyond God’s mercy.

Epistle – Romans 8:8–11

Paul contrasts living according to the flesh with living according to the Spirit. Those who belong to Christ are no longer under the power of sin and death but are filled with the Spirit of God.

Paul makes a remarkable promise: the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in believers. Because of this, the power of resurrection is already at work in the lives of God’s people. Even though our bodies are mortal, God’s Spirit brings life and renewal.

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Gospel – John 11:1–45

The raising of Lazarus is the final and greatest sign in John’s Gospel before Jesus’ own passion. When Lazarus falls ill, Jesus delays his journey, which causes confusion and grief among Lazarus’s family.

When Jesus arrives, Martha meets him with both faith and sorrow. She believes that God will answer Jesus’ prayers, yet she does not yet fully grasp what Jesus is about to reveal. Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

At the tomb, Jesus empathizes with the community’s grief. One of the shortest yet most impactful verses in Scripture simply states, “Jesus wept.” Following this moment of sorrow, He calls Lazarus out of the tomb, showing that God’s power can bring life even when death seems final.

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5th Sunday of Lent 2026 Reflection Wrap-Up

These readings direct us to the essence of Christian hope. God creates life from death, hope from despair, and restoration from brokenness.

Ezekiel’s dry bones come to life through the breath of God. The psalmist cries out from the depths but trusts in divine mercy. Paul reminds us that the Spirit who raised Christ now lives within us. In the Gospel, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb, revealing Himself as the resurrection and the life.

As Holy Week approaches, we are invited to reflect on the areas in our lives where we need God’s renewing breath. The promise of Lent is that God’s life-giving Spirit is already at work, preparing us for the joy of Easter.