The Land Of Narnia Series

Nov 27, 2005 Advent 1 Template for planning

David Selleck Lakeside United Methodist, Muskegon, Michigan

Felt Need: What does Narnia have to do with my Christian Walk?

Hoped for results: To demonstrate how CS Lewis wrote about Narnia and how we can use the parallel of the Kingdom of God to help us on our spiritual journey. This first message is designed to give anyone an idea of the story and the parallels of the Gospel.

Message: The Land of Narnia

Scriptures: Mk. 4:30, Lk 17:21, Lk 22: 29-30, Lk 19:17, Rev. 11:15 (Selected)

Mark 30-35 Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Luke 17:21-22 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, ’Here it is,’ or ’There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you."

Rev.11: 15-16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

Synopsis:

I Who is CS Lewis?

II What is Narnia?

III Who are the lead Characters in Narnia?

IV Narnia and the Kingdom of God and You

Metaphor: Door to Narnia

Video: Selected Narnia clips, of Narnia, and main characters

Music

Narnia Scenery Setup

Message:

The Land of Narnia

I Who is CS Lewis?

The Creator of Narnia: C. S. Lewis

by Ann-Marie Imbornoni

"

C. S. Lewis, or Jack Lewis, as he preferred to be called, was born in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) on November 29, 1898. Early Days

Lewis’s early childhood was relatively happy and carefree. There was also a library that was crammed with books—two of Jack’s favorites were Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

A Painful Loss

This somewhat idyllic boyhood came to an end for Lewis when his mother became ill and died of cancer in 1908. Barely a month after her death the two boys were sent away from home to go to boarding school in England.

An Oxford Scholar

In 1916 Lewis was accepted at University College, the oldest college (founded 1249) at Oxford University. Oxford, along with Cambridge University, had been a leading center of learning since the Middle Ages. Soon after he entered the University, however, Lewis chose to volunteer for active duty in World War I, to serve in the British Army then fighting in the muddy trenches of northern France.

Following the end of the war in 1918, Lewis returned to Oxford, where he took up his studies again with great enthusiasm. In 1925, after graduating with first-class honors in Greek and Latin Literature, Philosophy and Ancient History, and English Literature, Lewis was elected to an important teaching post in English at Magdalen College, Oxford. He remained at Oxford for 29 years before becoming a professor of medieval and renaissance literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1955.

Lewis the Writer

In addition to his teaching duties at the University, Lewis began to publish books. His first major work, The Pilgrim’s Regress (1933), was about his own spiritual journey to Christian faith. Other works followed that won him acclaim not only as a writer of books on religious subjects, but also as a writer of academic works and popular novels. The Allegory of Love (1936), which is still considered a masterpiece today, was a history of love literature from the early Middle Ages to Shakespeare’s time; Out of the Silent Planet (1938) was the first of a trilogy of science fiction novels, the hero of which is loosely modeled on Lewis’s friend J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the children’s classic The Hobbit.

Narnia

Initially when Lewis turned to writing children’s books, his publisher and some of his friends tried to dissuade him; they thought it would hurt his reputation as writer of serious works. J.R.R. Tolkien in particular criticized Lewis’s first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He thought that there were too many elements that clashed—a Father Christmas and an evil witch, talking animals and children. Thankfully, Lewis didn’t listen to any of them.

Following the publication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950, Lewis quickly wrote 6 more Narnia books, publishing the final one, The Last Battle, in 1956. Although they were not well received at first by critics and reviewers, the books gained in popularity through word of mouth. The Narnia books have since sold more than 100 million copies and are among the most beloved books of classic children’s literature.