Christmas In Narnia

Christmas in Narnia

Its September 18, 1931, in Oxford, England,

Two brilliant young professors walk in the darkness until 3am.

One is called Jack by his friends,

the other is called Tollers.

Jack and Tollers have become great friends,

primarily because they both love to read ancient myths and fairy tales,

and also obscure philosophers.

But tonight,

Jack is not talking about literature; he is desperately looking for answers to his doubts.

He has recently given his life to God,

and in his own words, he is: “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England,” because he still struggles to believe the most basic truths of the Gospel.

His friend Tollers has been a Christian for a long while,

but instead of quoting Scripture or arguing doctrine,

Tollers begins to talk about the stories they both love so much.

Tollers says that in every great story,

there is something good and deep—

something that points to the best and deepest story—

The Real Story—

God’s story of salvation through Jesus Christ.

That September walk was a breakthrough for Jack,

He kept thinking about that Real Story,

that was behind all great stories.

And two weeks later he told a friend that his doubts were no longer holding him back from his commitment to follow Christ.

He told his friend Tollers that the world needed more stories that would point to The Real Story.

Who were these two professors?

Tollers is better known as J.R.R. Tolkien,

who went on to write the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Jack, is better known as C.S. Lewis,

who went on to write The Chronicles of Narnia.

So they both wrote great stories,

that were based on The Real Story,

the story of God, and his love for us.

How many of you have seen the Narnia movie,

just released last week?

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is all about Christmas,

or at least about missing Christmas.

It’s about a snow blanketed land called, “Narnia,” where animals walk and talk,

and the land is ruled by a wicked witch whose magic spell keeps the entire land always winter, but never Christmas.

The movie brought in $65 million the first weekend,

which puts it in second place for any December release ever,

behind the Lord the The Rings, Return of the King.

So Tollers and Jack, 75 years later, have two of the biggest movies around.

Maybe you ask,

What is so compelling about this childrens story,

about a land called Narnia?

Why have 85,000,000 read the book,

and why will so many more see the movie?

Because it’s a story that really happened.

It’s really, the Christmas story.

The Bible calls Jesus,

the Lion of Judah,

and in Narnia the lion, Aslan brings Christmas and brings life,

just like Jesus did.

When Aslan comes into the land,

the snow melts, the sun shines,

and the world is delivered from the White Witch.

So today,

I want to use some of the things we see in the movie,

or in the book if you’ve read it,

to talk about what’s in the real story,

the story of God.

One of the first things we find out about Narnia,

is that in Narnia, its:

ALWAYS WINTER, BUT NEVER CHRISTMAS

You’ve got all the cold and bitterness of winter,

but nothing to look forward to in the middle of it.

No celebration,

no joy,

and not even springtime to look forward to,

so there’s no hope.

The picture of reality here is:

1. LIFE IS NOT AS IT SHOULD BE

Have you ever noticed

that most of the world’s greatest stories begin with a painful reality: Things are not as they should be.

Cinderella has a wicked stepmother and stepsisters.

Sleeping Beauty has been cursed by an angry old fairy.

Hansel and Gretel are driven by starvation to the house of a wicked witch.

Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother has been killed by the Big Bad Wolf.

Why do the greatest stories begin like that?

Because the truth is,

this world is not as it should be.

That’s just reality.

There’s war in Iraq,

and starvation in Africa,

There are tsunamis and hurricanes,

earthquakes and pollution.

Marriages falling apart,

children fighting,

Co-workers gossip and attack,

Politicians lie and steal,

People we trust betray and hurt us.

The world is not as it should be.

The Bible describes it like this: Romans 8:20, 21

“The creation was subjected to frustration…[in] bondage to decay…”

That is basically saying that ---

Sin has been tearing the world apart for thousands of years.

and we can see the evidence everywhere we look.

All of creation is not as it should be.

And so, in C.S. Lewis’ story,

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,

the world is also not as it should be.