Winter in Narnia

Castle Hill: doubled as Narnia, also seen in "Lord of the Rings"

It is almost winter in my part of the world right now, the bitter winds are so lazy, they don’t bother to go ‘round you, they just cut straight through, there is snow on the mountains, the trees are dormant, without leaf. The days are short; it’s dark by 5.30 pm… we can go for a week or more without seeing the sun.  This time of year reminds me of the land of Narnia. 

Have you read the classic fantasy by C. S. Lewis “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe”?

This wonderful and allegorical story was released as a Disney movie, in 2005, and it was filmed in my country, New Zealand. I have always enjoyed tramping in Narnia, or at least some of the countryside that doubles for that mythical place. If you have seen the movie  trilogy “Lord of the Rings” you will have seen a little of the place that we kiwis refer to as Godszone. Such is the beauty of our land that we, perhaps a little immodestly, like to think of New Zealand as a little piece of Heaven.

  

The land of Narnia was a land held prisoner by winter’s chilling grasp. There were seasons long ago, but since the evil Queen Jadis had claimed the land as her own and declared herself to be ruler over it, she had kept it under her evil spell, locked in winter’s grim hold. Worse still, she had forced all living creatures, gnomes and centaurs, dwarves, and giants, even the woodland animals, to be submissive to her rule, under threat of death.

Using powerful magic she dominated all rebellions against her reign and anyone who dared to oppose her was turned to stone and placed in the courtyard of her palace as a frozen testimony to her power.

However, Narnia had a saviour, a lion called Aslan, and a rumour circulated that Aslan was on the move… hope stirred in the breast of every living creature. “Aslan is on the move!” The mere mention of the name of Aslan the great lion and true King of Narnia caused joy to well up in the hearts of many, and invoked fear in the hearts of those loyal to the queen. “Aslan is on the move”. A child asked ‘is he safe?’ Of course he is not safe, but he is good!

Perhaps you are in Narnia right now, caught in the menacing grasp of a “spiritual winter”… well there’s a rumor circulating, “Aslan is on the move…”

For this cause we do not faint; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For the lightness of our present affliction works out for us a far more excellent eternal weight of glory, we not considering the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are not lasting, but the things which are not seen are everlasting.    2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MKJV

Let me take you back to the mythical world of Narnia for a moment. When Aslan the good Lion and true king returns to his rightful homeland things start to change immediately. At his mere presence

snow begins to melt and spring arrives. Finally Aslan agrees to give his own life to the Queen in exchange for one human being that she has captive.

The Queen thinks that she’s won, but the moment she plunges the knife into his heart, something happens that the Queen never expected. When Aslan dies, the Queen’s curse dies with him, and death itself begins to work backwards. Finally the resurrected Aslan conquers her palace and one by one he goes from statue to statue breathing on them with his breath of life, and restoring new life to all who had been turned to stone.

It may look like winter in Narnia, but Spring is already at hand. The Resurrected Lion is on the move!