“ASLAN’S ON THE MOVE...”
The Chronicles of Christmas - Week 3
Hebrews 10:5-7, Revelation 5:5
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON: (After :32 video intro)
What would Christmas be like without Christ? Think about that for a second. If Jesus Christ had not been born, for most in America, would there even be a major holiday at the end of December? I believe, we would lose a number of things if there was no Christ in Christmas. Our giving spirit and our presents surround the tradition that wise men brought gifts to the Christ child in Matt. 2:11. We sing of carols, that almost everyone knows, which surrounds the tradition of the angels praising God in Lk 2:14. We certainly wouldn’t have nativity scenes, but we also wouldn’t have Christmas trees, candy canes or good old St. Nick either. Much of what we celebrate at this time of year surrounds and is inextricably tied to the birth of Christ. You see, the truth of the matter is that Christmas has always been about the birth of Christ, and even more to the point, it’s always been about the hope that Jesus provides.
As we continue in our series it’s interesting to me to learn that it was hope that C.S. Lewis experienced and used to begin his beloved story, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” You see, in Lewis’ real world of 1940’s England, the Nazi’s were bombing London, where Lewis lived. But hope was provided for the children when people outside of the city volunteered to take them into their homes. In fact, that’s how the movie starts.
Video clip: Bombing of London/ Kids to safety - from super trailer mpeg - 2:05
Hope... it’s defined as “the feeling that something desired is possible.” For those parents the desire for their children’s safety was made possible through giving families and they had hope. And in Lewis’ story he personified hope into much more than just escape from war. He made hope a character. Listen to what Mr. Beaver tells the children: “They say Aslan’s on the move - perhaps already landed. And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different... At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside... 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 Pg. 141) In other words, hope sprang up in their hearts just at the name of Aslan.
Well, as we continue drawing Biblical truths from this story I want us to see the similarities between Aslan’s coming to Narnia & Jesus’ coming to earth. The common denominator is hope and that is what truly makes Christmas worth celebrating.
I. HOPE: It Started with Submission
Let’s begin by seeing that both Aslan’s and Jesus’ coming had a strange similarity. You would think that Aslan, the “King of the Beasts” and Jesus, the “King of Kings” would come with power and authority. They would squash evil like a bug, they would intimidate, dominate and over power. But that is not how Lewis portrays the lion, Alsan. In fact, in a number of incidents in the story Aslan isn’t fierce he’s docile, he not authoritative, he’s submissive.
For example, Aslan submitted to the Queen, the White Witch. She demands that the child Edmund be turned over to her because he is a traitor and the law set by the Emperor of the Sea, Aslan’s father, says that she should be able to kill Edmund. She says to Aslan, “You at least know the Magic that the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have the right to kill.”(LWW pg. 175) How dare she talk to the King of Beasts that way! Aslan had created Narnia. So, those around Alsan are ready to jump on her and you would think Aslan would just roar “No way!” And bite the witch’s head off. But instead he says, “‘Fall back, all of you,’ said Aslan, ‘and I will talk to the Witch alone.’”(LWW pg. 176) And Aslan submissively asks the Witch to walk and talk with him and even more surprising is after the talk Aslan says, “I have settled this matter. She has renounced her claim on your brother’s blood.” And he lets her go free!
Even with the traitor Edmund, Aslan submitted himself. Edmund’s treachery had almost cost his brother and sisters their lives. But instead of killing him or at least punishing Edmund we read: “When the other children woke up the next morning... the first thing they heard - from Mrs. Beaver - was their brother had been rescued and was at that moment with Aslan... they saw Aslan and Edmund walking together in the dewy grass, apart form the rest of the court... As they drew nearer Aslan turned to meet them, bringing Edmund with him. ‘Here is your brother,’ he said, ‘and - there is no need to talk to him about what is past.’” (LWW pg.174) Huh? Why Aslan treated Edmund like a friend not a foe. He was gentle, even forgiving!
And then the greatest submission came, as we’ll learn in detail on Christmas Eve, when he submitted to death, voluntarily giving his life in order to save Edmund. What kind of hero is this? He’s certainly not Rambo or John McCain, he’s no Terminator. But you know what? When you look closely at the life of Jesus Christ neither was he.
In fact, did you know that Jesus voluntarily submitted to coming into our world long before we ever learned about his birth in Bethlehem? The Bible teaches us that Jesus submitted to God even though he was equal to God. Phil. 2:6-7 - “Although he was God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality. 7Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, in submission to the Father he become like other humans, by having a human appearance.”(GW) Can you imagine the conversation between God and Jesus over this? They both agree that someone has to go to earth and live as God in human form and then die in order to reconcile sinful humanity with a holy God. Jesus could of said “No.” But Heb. 10:5-7 says, “Therefore when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings you were not pleased. 7Then I said, ‘Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God.’” You see, long before any angels sang, or shepherds bowed, or wise men brought gifts, Jesus submitted himself to God, the Father and said, “I’ll go.”
But Jesus also submitted himself to us, though he was superior. And make no mistake, the Bible says he is superior. Col. 1:15-16 in talking about Jesus says, “Christ is the visible image of the unseen God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. 16Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God’s Son, and everything was made for him.”(TEV) Just imagine taking on the body of man although he was God. The infinite becoming finite, free spirit becoming flesh and blood, perfect in the imperfect. Yet because he came to provide hope he was willing to submit himself to that lowly form. Both Aslan & Jesus were willing to submit to those that were lower in status than they were because they were more concerned about others then themselves.
Then, the second similarity between the hope they both supplied was that...
II. HOPE: It Entered With Surprise
In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Narnia is in a 100 year winter. But as Aslan comes surprises begin.
Video Clip - Montage of Aslan footage from super trailer mpeg - :22
Now, a Lion’s roar is meant to surprise and even stun. And there were some stunners, some surprises in the book and movie that you see in a much bigger sense than our small clip can give you. For example, winter begins to thaw and spring begins to appear, just by Aslan’s appearance into Narnia. As the Witch is impeded by the thaw that is happening her Dwarf says, “This is no thaw... This is Spring! What are we going to do? Your winter has been destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan’s doing!”(LWW pg.166) The surprise of spring keeps her from catching the children.
An additional surprise is when the children are running from the White Witch and they hear what they think is her sleigh. But to their surprise it is the sleigh of Father Christmas who says, “I have come at last... She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The White Witch’s magic is weakening.” (LWW pg. 159) And then he gives each of them presents. But then, even greater was meeting Aslan himself. To discover that this great lion, instead of destroying them, loved them and was there to help them was the most pleasant surprise of all.
You know the coming of Jesus was full of surprises too. For example, there were the surprising parents. I don’t believe that any of us would of chosen Joseph and Mary to be the guardians of the Son of God. I mean, they did not have impressive status, they were not well off financially, they didn’t even seem to be chronologically mature. Mary is thought by scholars to be 14 or 15 years old when she gave birth to the most valuable child in history! Wouldn’t Jesus of been better off in a royal family? That way Jesus could get the best education, have the right manners, after all He would need credibility if people were going to listen to Him. But Joseph and Mary were chosen because of their internal faithfulness and obedience to God, not their external trappings. You see as surprising as it is to us, God doesn’t often pick superstars to do his bidding but looks for servants.
There were also the surprising witnesses, lowly shepherds were the ones God chose to be the first onlookers of Jesus’ coming into the world. Why didn’t God choose royalty to be the first to hear of God’s birth? After all He was born a King. Or why didn’t the news media of the day hear about the birth of Christ initially? After all didn’t He bring good news? Why shepherds? These insignificant herders of animals who had no clout. Some might say, "Well, the angels came out at night and the shepherds were the only ones out that late, so since they were available, they announced the birth of Jesus to them.” But that’s a little weak. I think God chose them because it showed that God is no respecter of persons. It matters not how much you have, how intelligent you are or how influential you are. Surprisingly, what matters most to God is what kind of heart you bring.
It was also a surprising place that Jesus was born. Bethlehem was not a very important town in the world’s eyes. Why not pick a metropolitan area like Alexandria, Rome, Athens or Jerusalem for Jesus to be born? And not only was Bethlehem unimportant but the actual location for the birth was very unassuming. I mean, if I were God, my son would of been born in a palace, or at least a 1st class hotel, the Broadmoor or at least a classy Hyatt. But Joseph didn’t have those choices. I can’t help but think that he must have been close to panic when he saw all the "No Vacancy" signs and finally had to take Mary to place that contained a manager. Lk. 2:7- "..she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger.." A manger was a feeding trough, usually for barnyard animals, that’s why we traditionally think the birth of Jesus was in a barn or stable. Just think, God allowing His son to be born in such a place. But surprisingly, this unimportant and unassuming place showed the strength of God. Do you know why we want the top Doctor, the best nurse, the most sanitary hospital, the finest delivery room for our babies? It’s because we know that we are weak, we’re vulnerable, and we want to give that baby the best opportunity for life. But those things make absolutely no difference to God. He is the author of life! And the fact that His son was born in a barn shows that His ways are not our ways, and He chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong. So many surprises in the Christmas story.
Aslan, entered the fictional world of Narnia, bringing many surprises. Jesus entered our real world in a surprising fashion too. But each surprise reminds us of the hope that God brings through Christmas. That it is not contingent on many of the things we think are important but on the fact that God is and will always be in control.
One other similarity I want you to see between Lewis’ story and the story of Christmas. That this hope...
III. HOPE: It Springs Eternal
As we’ll discover in detail next Saturday night, Aslan does something that no one expects. He voluntarily gives up his life for the traitor, Edmund. At the moment of his death all hope is lost but then he springs back to life! “They (Susan & Lucy) looked around. There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had ever seen him before, shaking his mane... stood Aslan himself... ‘You’re not a - not a-’ asked Susan in a shaky voice. She couldn’t bring herself to say the word ghost. Aslan stooped his golden head and licked her forehead... ‘Do I look it?’ ‘Oh, you’re real, you’re alive! Oh, Aslan!’ cried Lucy, and both girls flung themselves upon him and covered him with kisses.” (LWW pg. 184-185) All of a sudden darkness turns to light and death turns to life as hope springs up for everyone in the fictional world of Narnia.
You could not get a better picture of what the Bible tells us Jesus did in our real world. The Bible tells us on the third day after Jesus gave his life for our traitorous lives, He arose and walked out of his tomb alive! And as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:17-20 - “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless...18In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! 19And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. 20But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead.”(NLT) You see, Christmas supplies no hope without the empty tomb. The fact is, Jesus wasn’t just a cute “babe in Bethlehem” he was, and is the very Son of God! That’s why one of the elders on the final day of this existence told the writer of Rev. 5:5 - “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” The greatest hope we have is much like Lewis’ story. It’s not just the coming of the lion, Aslan, it’s the springing to life of Jesus, the Lion of Judah, that gives us the greatest hope.
I am constantly amazed at how C.S. Lewis used this fictional story to help people see the real Biblical truth. That Christmas is all about Jesus Christ coming into our world and into our lives. So I want to conclude our time together by just sharing three lessons to learn from what we’ve talked about today.
IV. THREE LESSONS TO LEARN:
(1) From the submission of Jesus we learn that biblical submission is never a negative concept. Often times when we hear the word submit we think of slavery or an inferior servant. But Biblical submission is simply the voluntary delegation of leadership. Jesus was not inferior to anyone, yet He allowed human beings, His creation, to lead him to the cross and kill him. His submission was never inferiority but an example of doing what needed to be done for the greater good. And His submission demonstrates what true submission is. Submitting is simply allowing others to lead even when you have the authority, because it’s what is best for the cause. So a wise supervisor will submit to a subordinate who has more knowledge than they do in a certain field for the benefit of the team. A wise organizational head will submit to someone under them to enhance the effectiveness of the organization. A wise husband and/or wife will submit to the other for the benefit of the family. Biblical submission is voluntary and thus brings hope for teamwork and triumph. The question Jesus asks is are we willing to submit our lives to Him, the one who submitted His all for us?
(2) From the surprises of Jesus’ birth we learn that God often does dramatic things in undramatic ways: Be attentive. An ordinary child, in an ordinary place, in an ordinary way & yet the most important event in all of history. Max Lucado, in his book, God Came Near, just after picturing the birth, describes what people were doing while this dramatic event occurred undramatically. "Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God out into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival, missed it not because of evil acts or malice; No, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking, they weren’t attentive. Little has changed in the last 2000 years, has it?" I think we miss God working in our lives sometimes because we’re searching for the spectacular, the dramatic.
What are you looking for from God this morning? A miracle? The spectacular? I’ve heard people pray for financial help and then are disappointed if they don’t get a check in the mail the next day with the return address: heaven. If it comes after work and time, they wonder if it’s of God. And I just want to say to you this morning.. God wants you to seek Him but be attentive because often times you will find your answer in the undramatic.
(3) From Jesus’ life, death and resurrection we learn that He is our living hope. You know the greatest difference between the claims of Christianity and any other religion is not that Jesus was born or that he taught great truths.. The greatest difference is that Christianity has the only founder that has risen from the dead! That makes Jesus more than a way.. It makes him The Way! Jesus himself said in Jn 14:6 - “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (God) except through me.” And this Way, this Living Hope supplies us two things: Forgiveness of sins in this world and a perfect place to live in the next. In talking about this living hope, 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy he has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 4Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you.”(NCV) God’s great mercy: our forgiveness and God’s great blessings - kept in heaven. That means Jesus is not only our living hope, he’s our only hope.
In C.S. Lewis’ 6th book in The Chronicles of Narnia, The Silver Chair, a young girl by the name of Jill has entered Narnia and when she gets there she is thirsty and spots a beautiful little stream. But between her and the water is a huge lion, Aslan, and she is scared to go forward. “‘Do you eat girls?’ she asked. ‘I have swallowed up the lives of girls and boys and women and kings and emperors...’ said the Lion. ‘I daren’t come and drink,’ said Jill. ‘Then you will die of thirst,’ said the Lion. ‘Oh, dear!’ said Jill coming a step nearer. ‘I suppose I must go look for another stream then. ‘There is no other stream,’ said the Lion.” (TSC pg. 557-558) And there is no other way. Jesus, offers of living water but in order to get it we must come to him. He’s the only way. But what he has to offer is better than anything or anyone else has to give.
“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 man, we will have spring again.” (LWW pg. 146) Why not come to the One who makes wrong, right, who has an answer for your sorrows and who can make it spring again in your heart.. Forever. Come to Him.. The Christ.. Of Christmas.
{All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, the New International Version, unless otherwise noted}
Resources:
The Lion, The With and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair- C.S. Lewis
Acknowledge a couple of sermons from Sermoncentral.com:
“Narnia: Not Safe, But Good” by Robert Marsh
“Narnia: Encounter the Power” by Hal Seed
“Narnia: Not a Tame Lion” by Roy Carter
