Narnia: The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe

As a child a favorite book of mine was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis. It is an exciting, imaginative story set in another world which deals with trust, betrayal, hope, courage, sacrificial love and life after death. C.S Lewis created a world of talking animals, full of allegory and metaphor, which whether you hear the story as a child or an adult, offers us all insights into the nature of God.

Join us Monday June 4, 10:00AM in the Life Center when we will be showing the wonderful film adaptation of this tale. If you haven't seen the movie, we hope that you will join us, and even if you have- come and see it again!

The film adaptation helps us to understand that God is not in our pocket, and God does not wait simply for us to make requests or commands. As people of faith, we believe in a God who is active and at work in our lives. At the end of the story, one of the characters watches Aslan the Lion (an allegory for Jesus) walk away into the distance and asks if she will ever see him again. She is told,

“He'll be coming and going. One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down – and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”

Although within, God is also set apart from our comparatively safe world. God works in ways beyond our sight and comprehension. C.S Lewis has a wonderful way of taking complex theological points, and speaking to them in ways which we can all appreciate. When the children in the story first hear that Aslan is a lion they are concerned and ask, ‘Is he safe?'

“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, I tell you.”

God is neither tame nor safe, but God is good, and in this tale we are given many other insights into our relationship with God and the nature of God.

As we look around our world and see the darkness of war, areas of poverty and other world-wide problems – this tale reminds us to trust in our God who is good, our God who is neither ‘safe' nor ‘tame'. We are reminded to look forward, in the hope that we have the courage to take risks, to make changes, to show God's love and so to bring forward God's kingdom in this world.

Author Info: Andrew Moore

Chaplain Andrew is the Associate Chaplain here at the Campus. Before relocating to Arizona in 2014, Andrew lived and studied in the United Kingdom. Andrew was ordained in the Anglican Church and has worked in a variety of parishes.