Narnia: Always Winter Never Christmas

Read (Isaiah 9:1-7, John 1:1-10)

Winter is about to be here again. This season is the least favorite of most if not all people. It’s colder, days are shorter, more darkness, less activity.

The trees and plants show little sign of life. The skies are usually more gray.

The brisk air and the cold floors and cold car seats make you stiffen up and huddle to be warm.

Outside is less inviting. Inside is much more comfortable.

We can be spoiled by winter in the South. Some winter days can seem like Spring or Fall. Even so we talk about how cold it is outside.

In the upper parts of Alaska, you would experience 60 days of straight darkness. No daylight for 2 months. Think that would affect you?

I know our brothers and sisters here who have experience with the winters of Wisconsin and Illinois and Vermont can talk to us about winter.

When we get snow here, it’s like a giant play time. That’s because it doesn’t last. What if you got snow everyday for 60 days?

Some of you are saying, Bring it on. You may want to talk to someone with experience in shoveling snow and walking to school in the snow.

It’s probably not as great as it might appear. Many of us know what it’s like to drive to work in these conditions. Day after day it can be depressing.

The snow turns brown and black and gray. You have to watch for icy spots.

We all seem to perk up with the first sign of spring.

The one thing we can say about winter is: At least there’s Christmas.

Christmas almost makes winter worth having. There’re gifts.

Excitement, Joy. We have so many bright colors, lights, trees, houses.

We think of peace on earth and good will toward men.

But what if in our world, it was always winter, but never Christmas?

Man! Would that be hard? Cold, dreary, gray, cloudy, dark days.

Always ice and snow on the ground, never soft, green grass, never warm, sunny days. Even Siberia has a summer!

If it was always winter, you would say there’s something wrong here.

54 years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote his godchild a book, a series actually, about 4 kids who find the magical world of Narnia through the portal of a wardrobe.

It’s called the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

It has just been made into a full-length film to be released on Dec. 9th.

We will be talking about it further tonight and having some fun too.

These children venture into this strange world of Narnia where both humans and animals can talk and there are all kinds of mythical creatures too.

What they find in this place is that for as long as anyone can remember,

It has always been winter, but never Christmas.

The white witch who rules the kingdom keeps everything frozen in winter and never allows Father Christmas to enter the land.

Her enemies are turned to lifeless stone under the power of her spells.

Narnia is held under the spell of eternal winter until a rumor begins to circulate that Aslan is on the move. Aslan is a lion, that is related to royalty from a distance land, a land beyond the sea.

The coming of Aslan breaks the power of the White Witch and ends her reign of winter. Life begins to flourish again as Spring breaks out all over.

If you’re not familiar with the story, it is a familiar clash of good and evil with good triumphing in the end. But it’s more than that.

The character of Aslan in the story is more than just a heroic figure.

He is clearly a Christ figure in the story as a deliverer and savior.

Here in this fascinating children’s story, C.S. Lewis has drawn some parallels to our beginning the advent season.

Particularly today, the prophecy candle and our passage from John 1.

Narnia was cloaked in winter and never Christmas.

Life was cold, dark, cloudy, gray, cruel, and lifeless.

A land where there was no Hope, only fear reigned.

What was the characterization of the world before the messiah?

What did the prophecy say that was read at the lighting of the candle?

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

What does John record about the coming of the messiah, Jesus?

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

In Narnia, it was always winter. In our world, people walked in darkness.

Before Jesus came, we lived in an Alaskan winter all year long.