I love to read. I have books in almost every room in the Vicarage. There are lots of biographies, fiction and non fiction varieties, I have my favourite authors, including the likes of The Bronte Sisters, Santa Montifiore, Ellie Griffiths and Michael Morpurgo (I know many of his books are for children, but they are always a good read!) And of course, I have shelves full of theological based books for referring to, especially when writing sermons.
As a child, my parents bought me a box set of “The classics”, Black Beauty, Swiss Family Robinson, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden and The Wind in the Willows to name just a few. But I never read any of the Narnia stories, written by CS Lewis. Stories such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I’ve come across various quotes from the books, and I’m aware of many of the characters, but I have never read the books in their entirety.
However, during Lent I attended a day retreat which was based around the Narnia stories. It was fascinating, informative and yes, even challenging and certainly aroused my interest.
Narnia is an entirely new world, filled with adventure, danger and wonder (and lots of Turkish Delight!). Clive Staples Lewis was once an ardent atheist but the more he studied, the more he came to believe the message of the Bible and, at the age of 33 became a Christian. Through his creation of the world beyond the wardrobe, Lewis reveals opportunities to experience both the power and potential of the greatest love of all. Lewis believed that Christ’s love is the truth at the heart of the universe and that love will conquer all things through courage, community and the ultimate sacrifice. As the Narnian rhyme goes,
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane,
we shall have spring again.”
Lucy, the youngest of the 4 Narnian adventurers, comes to realise the truth about Aslan, (Lewis’s metaphor for Jesus Christ), that after all the adventures, dangers and challenges, Aslan is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for love. The Narnia stories all contain acts of bravery and courage, treachery and betrayal, loyalty and forgiveness. The stories all show that within the human heart, the beauty of redemption and friendship are restored.
It all sounds rather similar to another collection of books which also teach us about redemption, forgiveness, acceptance and most of all, the ultimate sacrifice made for love. The Bible tells the story of God’s relationship with the masterpiece of his creation, made in his image, His children, you and me. The Bible has everything in it to teach us the way to live life to its fullest. Unlike the Narnia stories however, the Bible is based in a lot of historical fact, not fiction.
Having just celebrated the Easter story once more, we can give thanks for Christ’s victory over death, and his promise of eternal life for all. However you come to explore the possibilities of faith, may the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you.
With love and blessings, Rev Mandy Xx