Sermon Central
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The Return To Faith Series
Contributed by Bob Beltz on May 15, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: When Lewis was asked about the main themes of the Chronicles, he used the phrase "return to the true faith" to describe Prince Caspian.
Dear Church Leader,
As a life-long C.S. Lewis fan, and a pastor for twenty-five years, I am excited not only about the wholesome entertainment value of the second film in the Chronicles of Narnia series, but also about the tool the film can be for churches and ministries. I’ve been told that the awareness level of Prince Caspian is running over 95%, which means that over 9 out of 10 people you run into, whether in church, or on the street, know about the movie. What an incredible opportunity to use something as much fun as a great film to enhance your ministry!
I have been asked to point out several of the most relevant spiritual themes in the film that might be used for messages, discussions, small group interaction, or other creative ideas. Here is the first of four:
Message One: The Return to Faith.
When Lewis was asked about the main themes of the Chronicles, he used the phrase "return to the true faith" to describe Prince Caspian. One year after their return to England from Narnia, the Pevensie children are "drawn into" Narnia again (another Lewis phrase.) They discover that 1,303 Narnian years have elapsed, and that the current rulers of Narnia - the Telmarines - believe the stories about talking animals and Aslan are nothing but fairy tales. They also discover that Caspian the 9th has been murdered by his brother, Miraz, and Caspian the 10th has been forced into exile by the usurper Miraz. Thus, the battle to defeat Miraz and restore the throne to its rightful occupant is also a battle to bring the truth of Old Narnia and Aslan back.
In some ways, Prince Caspian is the most "modern" of the Chronicles. We live in a world that has many parallels to the Narnia the children enter. I’m sure Lewis had this in mind when he wrote the book. We live in a world where most people think the Bible is full of fairy tales and question whether Jesus ever lived, not even having any understanding of whether he died for humanity’s sin and rose triumphant from the dead. So the film can be a springboard to discuss these parallels.
