NOT A TAME LION
THE CHRONICLES OF CHRISTMAS – PART 2
THE KING OF THE BEASTS
STRONG - "…What is stronger than a lion?" – Judges 14:18 NIV
COURAGEOUS - “…the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, …” 2 Samuel 17:10 NIV
FEROCIOUS - “…Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness who dares to rouse him?” Genesis 49:9 NIV
STEALTH - Lamentations 3:10 – “…like a lion in hiding” NIV
“… like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.” Psalm 10:9 CEV
THE LION OF PROPHECY & HISTORY
“You’re a lion’s cub, Judah, home fresh from the kill, my son. Look at him, crouched like a lion, king of beasts; who dares mess with him? 10 The scepter shall not leave Judah; he’ll keep a firm grip on the command staff; Until the ultimate ruler comes and the nations obey him.” Genesis 49: 9-10 The Message
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2 NIV
“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:31-33 NIV
“Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5 NIV
THE BEARING OF A LION
(How Aslan Reminds Us of Jesus Christ)
"There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; Proverbs 30:29-30 NIV
1. HIS NAME IS LIKE A SWEET FRAGRENCE –
“Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream … it has some enormous meaning - either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again.” Narrator explaining the effect that the name of Aslan has on people who hear it the first time. LWW, page 141
“At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.” LWW, page 141
“But now that Aslan is on the move -” said the Beaver. “for once again that strange feeling – like the first signs of spring, like good news – had come over them.” LWW, pg. 146
“God uses us to make the knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 TEV
“Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NLT
“the very mention of your name is like spreading perfume.” Song of Solomon 1:3 CEV
2. HIS COMING BANISHES WINTER –
“Wrong will be made 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.” LWW, pg. 146
Mr. Beaver to the children when he saw Father Christmas, “Come on! Come and see! This is a nasty knock for the Witch! It looks as if her power is already crumbling.” LWW, Page 159
Father Christmas to the children, “I’ve come at last,” said he. “She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The Witch’s magic is weakening.” LWW, page 159
“Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the Western lamppost to the shores of the Eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch. Lucy saw her face lifted towards him for one second with an expression of terror and amazement.”
“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” John 12:31 NIV
“He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” Colossians 2:15, The Message
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8b NIV
3. HIS ARRIVAL HERALDS A NEW KINGDOM –
“‘They say Aslan is on the move – perhaps has already landed.’” Mr. Beaver whispering to the children, LWW, page 141.
“‘This is no thaw,’ said the dwarf, suddenly stopping. ‘This is Spring. What are we to do? Your winter has been destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan’s doing.” LWW, page 166
“From that time Jesus began to preach his message: "Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!" Matthew 4:17 TEV
“At last the time has come!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!" Mark 1:15 NLT
“Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. 21 You won’t be able to say, ’Here it is!’ or ’It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is among you." Luke 17:20-21 NLT
“but now it has been revealed to us through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has ended the power of death and through the gospel has revealed immortal life.” 2 Timothy 1:10 TEV
4. HE IS GOOD AND TERRIBLE AT THE SAME TIME –
“I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” LWW, page 146
“People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all terribly.” LWW, page 168-67
“The Lion shook his mane and clapped his paws together (“Terrible paws,” thought Lucy, “if he didn’t know how to velvet them!”) LWW, page 169
“Aslan laid his paw- and though it was velveted it was very heavy – on Peter’s shoulder” LWW, page 169
“Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the Western lamppost to the shores of the Eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch. Lucy saw her face lifted towards him for one second with an expression of terror and amazement.”
“They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Mark 4:41 NIV
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31 NIV
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NIV
“Make sure you stay alert to these qualities of gentle kindness and ruthless severity that exist side by side in God” Romans 11:22 The Message
5. HE IS BOTH CREATOR AND REDEEMER -
“Before the new, clean world I gave you is seven hours old, a force of evil has already entered it; waked and brought hither by this son of Adam … But do not be cast down … evil will come of that evil … and I will see to it that the worst falls upon myself.” MN, page 80
Lucy looking at the shorn face of Aslan, the shorn face of Aslan looked to her braver, and more beautiful, and more patient than ever.” LWW, page 181
“Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. … and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. Colossians 1:16, 20 NLT
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:3-4 NIV
WHO IS FATHER CHRISTMAS?
Father Christmas is…
1. A HARBINGER OF HOPE –His very presence tells us that Aslan is on the move and that the witches spell is breaking over Narnia. The famous Yuletide log that was rather large and burned brightly in the darkest time of the season was a harbinger of hope for the breaking of light in the midst of prevailing darkness.
2. A BEARER OF GIFTS – His gifts are not seasonal trinkets that only last a week and are discarded in the end. Instead, his gifts are substantial, meeting the deep needs of each person for significance and purpose. His gifts enable, equip, and comfort the children.
3. A MESSENGER OF THE KING - “Merry Christmas! Long Live the True King!” Instead of being the dominate personality of Narnia during the “Christmas season” Father Christmas is the messenger of a greater personality. He was like a John the Baptist crying out in the desert heralding the coming of the Messiah.
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LWW = The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S.Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia in one volumn.
MN = Magician’s Nephew, by C.S.Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia in one volumn.
NIV = New International Version
The Message = Eugene Peterson’s translation
TEV = Today’s English Version
NLT = New Living Translation
CEV = Contemporary English Version
