The Melting Snow...Hope is Insight

One of my favorite parts in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is when Edmund (who is captured by the White Witch) recognizes that her powers are declining.

“Now they were steadily racing on again. And soon Edmund noticed that the snow which splashed against them as they rushed through it was much wetter than it had been last night…And his heart gave a great leap when he realized that the frost was over.”

Aslan, by returning to Narnia, broke the White Witch spell. This is good news for Edmund. Edmund is currently captured by the White Witch because he betrayed his brothers and sisters. Because of his “sin” he became a slave to the Witch. He is traveling with the Witch as she is looking for his siblings to kill them. Edmund is tired and feels horrible and guilty for betraying his family. He believed he was utterly hopeless as he traveled with the dark, twisted Witch in the freezing winter. The White Witch had total power over Edmund.

Edmund, by his own sin and short coming, got himself in this hopeless situation. But in the middle of their travels He sees signs of spring. Which could only mean one thing…“Aslan is on the move”. This statement brought hope to all of Narnia. In the Narnia series, Aslan is called “the true king…the Son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-sea…Great Lion of Narnia, the ruler of all Narnia” Narnians have been waiting for the day that Aslan would come and get rid of the White Witch and the hundred years of winter would be over. Edmund now he had hope—“Aslan is on the move”. Maybe Aslan could save him and his siblings?

I can relate this to the story of Israel (what a shock)—God’s chosen people. They went from a close relationship with God to having their hearts go cold. They turned their backs to God. They went astray. God knew His people would fall short. He planned to send a Savior to them. Israel was waiting to be redeemed. Instead of finding hope in “Aslan is on the move” they found it in “the Messiah is coming”. Jesus Christ is known as the Lion of Judah, King of kings, the Son of God, and the ruler of all. Are you starting to see the parallel between this fictional, beloved children’s story and the very REAL story of Christmas. “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is so powerful because it is our story. We have all been in the place of Edmund. We have been slaves to sin, lost and helpless. But, Hallelujah, Jesus Christ came at Christmas to offer us new life and hope, to free us from Satan and sin.

Just like when Aslan arrives the dark magic on Narnia begins to break and spring appears—When Jesus was born on Christmas the curse of sin and the power of Satan over us began to break. 1 John 3:8 says “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”

Yet, the Witch is fighting the truth that her power is beginning to fade. She tries to make it so Edmund can’t see that winter is beginning to turn to spring. C.S Lewis writes, “This didn’t prevent Edmund from seeing. Only five minutes later did he notice a dozen crocuses growing around the foot of an old tree—gold and purple and white”.

This is SO typical Satan. He knows. He understands that now Christ is born and He has absolutely no power anymore. His power is all illusions. Making us believe the lies that He has power over our lives. But my friends let me warn you. Satan is VERY good at this. He is a master of illusions. The last thing Satan wants is for us to have hope. For us to realize that we are no longer slaves to him or sin. Praise the Lord that we have a Savior who can make the blind see. Who can open our eyes to the lies and illusions of Satan.

This reminds me of the first part of the Christmas song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel and God rest ye Merry Gentlemen.

“Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here--Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to you, O Israel!”

“This day is born a Savior. Of a pure Virgin bright,To free all those who trust in Him--From Satan's power and might.O tidings of comfort and joy”

Christmas is the arrival of hope, of the long awaited Savior. It is the start of Satan losing His power over us. (It wasn’t till Christ work on the cross that we were completely set free from Satan’s power and sin). Christmas is when the melting began.

I love the metaphor for snow melting that C.S Lewis uses in this book. It reminds me that God has the power to transform a cold heart, bit by bit, into a burning heart for Him. This is a truth for both believers and non-believers. God can transform even the most committed, firm standing atheist into a Christ believer who leads thousands to salvation (example: Acts 8-9 the story of Saul turned Paul). However, even as current followers of Christ, I can promise you that you’ll go through a season of winter. Just like you can count on the changing of the seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. You will go through trials and tough times that will feel like “winter”. But, remember we have the hope of Christmas. We can hold on to the promise that winter brings Christmas. CHRISTmas dwells within us. In the middle of long, cold, and dark days we can find warmth, joy, and love. Hold on to the promise that after the season of winter; spring will surely come. When the snow in Narnia melts, it is an allusion to how winter in our hearts gives way to a spring time of faith.

Oh what joy to know Aslan and Jesus are on their way to bring light and hope to these two worlds. But, things are far from over. Actually our Christmas story has only just begun. Check out next post December 20th to find out the rest…

Always Winter, Never Christmas

I am beyond excited to FINALLY be posting my first post to the True Magic of Christmas Blog Series. I know I am extremely far behind in posting this series, so I will be posting a new blog every other day until Christmas Eve which will be the finale of this series. I promise the long wait will be worth it. So make sure to check my blog on December 18th , 20th , 22nd , and 24th !!!

I have always been a dreamer. This mind, this imagination, the Lord has given me is constantly filled with new ideas, wonder, and always pushing the definition of what’s impossible. Because with God absolutely NOTHING is impossible. I am relentless in looking for a good adventure and have an addictive love for metaphors. I cannot get enough of metaphors and similes. I naturally come up with new metaphors to describe my life or the things happening around me. By now you’re most likely wondering where I am going with this. You’re thinking, “Oh no, Heidi is rambling on again”. Yes I have a tendency to ramble BUT…I actually do have a point. As we spend the next week exploring the True Magic of Christmas we will make use of the Narnia Series. One book in particular from the Narnia Series: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

This book has so many brilliant metaphors to Christmas that I am bursting with excitement to start showing you them. Narnia is a magical world, filled with adventure, epic battles of good vs. evil, noble love, ordinary people who become heroes (both boys and girls) willing to risk everything for the greater good, and a mighty King lion named Aslan who always comes through to save the day.

I recommend these books to everyone. They are simply amazing. I do like the movies but it doesn’t compare to the book. And in order to go on this journey with me this week you must have a basic knowledge of the book. In other words, you need some training before embarking on the journey. If you have read The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, congratulations, you are ready to go. If not, I have added the SparkNotes link. Take 5 minutes or less to read and get a good understanding of the story’s plot and characters.

Know that SparkNotes will only give you an understanding of the book but I HIGHLY recommend you take the time during Christmas Break to read this book. It is short and an easy read and has a myriad of parallels to the Gospel

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lion/summary.html

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There will be two different worlds that we will be jumping back and forth to. One is the land of Narnia where anything is possible. The second is an enchanting and holy night that happened over 2,000 years ago in the sleepy town of Bethlehem.

Are you ready? If not, this is the last time you’ll be able to walk away. Once you take the first step there is no going back. The path is narrow. I cannot promise you it will be an easy journey. It will take courage, an open mind, and trusting in someone bigger than yourself.

We will start our week long adventure by walking through an ancient old Wardrobe hidden upstairs in a forgotten room filled with dust. Take a deep breath, remember you are not alone, take a step of faith, and feel the bitter-cold cut right through your oversized coat as you enter a world that is currently stuck in a perpetual winter…

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“She has made an enchantment over the whole country so that it is always winter here and never Christmas. How awful is that! ” ~Lucy, to her siblings in the book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Can you imagine a world where it was always winter but never Christmas? What a horrible thought. When Lucy first visits Narnia it’s under the curse of the White Witch. Therefore, Narnia is a world that is in slavery and oppression to the White Witch. It is a world that waits for restoration. Waiting for Aslan to come and destroy the Witch and bring spring. Why is everyone waiting for Aslan to come? There are old Narnian prophesies which speak of the coming of Aslan! Mr. Beaver shares one of them with the children in chapter 8,

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan come 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.”

Let’s jump to another world quickly. This world is our own world 2,000 years ago, a time where just like Narnia, there was no such thing as Christmas. The people of Israel have been in its own time of continuous winter. Maybe not physically but metaphorically. The world is dark and being held to the Law of God. No matter how hard anyone tries, they never meet its standards. Everyone is broken knowing they have fallen short of what God created them to be. Consequently, Satan has taken over. The promised Light of the World has not yet come. People are waiting to be ransomed from Satan’s power over their lives. The world is filled with darkness and is cold. Kind of like an unending winter.

Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of Law….the Scriptures declare that the whole world is a prisoner to sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. ~Galatians 3:10, 22-23

Israel has its own set of prophecies of a Messiah. The Redeemer will come to abolish the current curse on the world and bring light, hope, and freedom. The most common prophecy is from Isaiah. It was prophesied about 700 years before Jesus’ birth.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadows of death a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:1-2

Narnia has been in a never ending winter for over 100 years. Everyone is slaves to the evil White Witch. Israel has been waiting for thousands of years for the Messiah, stuck in a world where everyone is slaves to sin and Satan is the ruling king. Both these worlds are waiting for hope. Yet, I have a feeling that the long season of waiting is about to come to an end. Aslan and the Messiah are on the move. Yes, I do believe, Hope is coming to these two worlds.

I guess we will find out for sure on Saturday December 18th….

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