So…are you enjoying our journey through Narnia thus far? Last week Sandy, our Narnia tour guide, gave us a brief overview of the land of Narnia.
As you may be learning, Narnia is a far & distant land. First imagined in the mind of CS Lewis, it has now been visited by millions of readers since 1950. Narnia is a very different world from ours, but in many ways very similar!
Narnia is full of many intriguing creatures. Some very familiar to us… beavers, bears, field mice, rabbits, etc. Some not so familiar to us… centaurs, fawns (like Mr. Tumnus), dwarfs, giants, unicorns, etc.
A lot like earth, huh? Lots of people like you. Lots of people you don’t relate to!
Meet the Cast: MR. & MRS. BEAVER
Today, I want to introduce you to two of my favorite characters in LWW. I know Aslan is the star of Narnia, the Lord of the Woods...but for me, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Mr. & Mrs. Beaver. As a matter of fact, over my last 20+ years of knowing LWW, I’ve grown to love Mr. & Mrs. Beaver.
Today, I want to tell you more about these characters and in the process, draw some key spiritual truths out of their stories. Truths that I hope will be as helpful to you as you continue your walk with God as they have been for me.
PRAY.
For you to fully appreciate LWW, you must understand something about Narnia. Under all the beauty of its’ peaceful winter scenes…NARNIA is at war! A world in crisis...under siege. In Narnia…ALL the creatures who live here have been drawn into the war.
Long ago, Narnia was created by Aslan. Son of the Great Emperor. But Jadis, the White Witch has invaded Narnia and ruled in evil destruction. It’s always winter and never Christmas. Jadis’ evil reign however has been resisted by many woodland animals. There is an underground level of communication that goes on behind the scenes.
Much like our world, on the surface, it can look beautiful & serene, but when the truth is known, Narnia is under siege…at war. It’s into this conflicted world of Narnia that Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy are drawn. One of the first Narnian creatures the children meet is Mr Beaver.
Read from LWW…
“Sh! Look!” said Susan.
What?” said Peter.
“There’s something moving among the trees over there to the left.”
They all stared as hard as they could, and no one felt very comfortable.
“There it goes again,” said Susan.
“I saw it that time too,” said Peter. “It’s still there. It’s just gone behind that big tree.”
“What is it?” asked Lucy, trying very hard not to sound nervous.
“Whatever it is,” said Peter, ‘”it’s dodging us. It’s something that doesn’t want to be seen.”
“It’s – it’s a kind of animal,” said Susan; and then, “Look! Look! Quick! There it is.”
They all saw it this time, a whiskered furry face which had looked out at them from behind a tree. But this time it didn’t immediately draw back. Instead, the animal put its paw against its mouth just as humans put their finger on their lips when they are signaling to you to be quiet. Then it disappeared again. The children all stood holding their breath.
A moment later the stranger came out from behind the tree, glanced all round as if it were afraid someone was watching, said, “Hush”, made signs to them to join it in the thicker bit of wood where it was standing, and then once more disappeared.
“I know what it is,” said Peter; “it’s a beaver. I saw the tail.”
“It wants us to go to it.” Said Susan, “and it is warning us not to make a noise.”
Only when it had led the children into a dark spot where four trees grew so close together that their boughs met and the brown earth and pine needles could be seen underfoot because no snow had been able to fall there, did the beaver begin to talk to them.
“Are you the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve?” the beaver said.
“We’re some of them.” Said Peter.
‘S-s-s-h!” said the Beaver, “not so loud, please. We’re not safe even here.”
“Why, who are you afraid of?” said Peter. “There’s no one here but ourselves.”
“There are the trees,” said the Beaver. “They’re always listening. Most of them are on our side, but there are trees that would betray us to her; you know who I mean,” and nodded his head several times.
As you continue reading LWW...it becomes obvious that Mr Beaver is on the side of good…and has been sent to help the children in many valuable ways. Mr. Beaver leads Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy to his home. A comfortable warm & friendly shelter…a home tucked away near the water’s edge. A safe place for the children to hide away from their enemies and winter’s icy blast. “Merely a trifle! Merely a trifle…and it isn’t really finished,” says Mr. Beaver. It’s in this safe hideaway where we find out vitally important details about Narnia, Aslan, the white witch, and the importance of the children’s visit to Narnia.
Now, Marty, you might be asking, why in the world are you talking about Beavers here on Sunday morning instead of talking about the Bible and Jesus? Hold tight. I’m already there. I’m already talking about an important aspect of who God is and how He works. Important truths that you need to know as you follow Aslan…excuse me, Jesus toward our destiny in Him.
Three Important truths...taken from Mr & Mrs. Beaver & their story...
1. Just like Narnia…our world is at war.
In the beginning, God created our world. Created you & me. Created all the beauty & splendor of this universe. But like Narnia….this beautiful creation has been invaded by an outside evil source. Openly invited into our world through our sin & selfishness, Satan (just like Jadis in Narnia) has brought his powerful evil influence in, touching EVERY ASPECT of the world we live in.
2. When at war…there are always freedom fighters.
As we read God’s Word, review the last 5,000 years, there has always been a remnant of people who resist the evil and place their trust & hope in God. Just like Mr & Mrs Beaver and many of the inhabitants of Narnia, there is an underground resistance of TRUTH, FAITH, HOPE & LOVE. God always has a group of people He can use, even when the world looks the darkest…when it’s winter…and never Christmas!
One of my favorite scenes in LWW is the dinner conversation between Peter, Susan, Lucy & Edmund and Mr & Mrs Beaver.
Stories of adventure. Stories of courage.
Stories that draw us into our destiny.
As the children sit with Mr & Mrs Beaver that night, they realize they have been drawn into Narnia not by accident but by divine providence.
When two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve enter Narnia…it’s the signal to Narnia that the end of the war is coming soon. When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone sits at Cair Paravel on throne. The evil time will be over and done.
3. There’s always a prophetic voice in the midst of the battle.
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.
"Aslan is on the move" breathes hope into all...a fresh breath of air.
Isaiah 26:8 We wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
Like Simeon, Anna, Zachariah & Elizabeth in the NT, Mr & Mrs Beaver are the old prophets who have long awaited the coming of Aslan. For many generations they’ve been faithful to the promises. Keeping on..keeping on…resisting the temptations to ‘go with the flow’ in Narnia and give up hope, giving in to the White Witch and her evil powers. Like John the Baptist, Mr & Mrs Beaver are fore-runners to the work of God.
I love Mr & Mrs Beaver. They are my heroes.
Here’s why…
They are faithful keepers of the WORD.
They are humble servants to the PROMISE.
They are brave warriors against the EVIL.
They are victorious participants in the END.
One of my greatest goals in my life & Sandy’s life is that we will be just like Mr. & Mrs. Beaver!
(on Power Point, we place a picture of Mr & Mrs Beaver and a picture of Sandy & myself…with edited-in large beaver teeth!)
I think we’re starting to look more & more like them everyday...whadayathink?
How about you?
Aren’t you longing to become like them?
Faithful keepers of God’s Word, humble servants to God’s promises, brave warriors against evil, victorious participants in God’s victory?
CLOSING PRAYER
