Through Aslan’s work in the previous chapter, not only has victory come to Old Narnia, the ways of the land will never be the same again. With this change, there is a need to let go of the old. This, of course, is what we see in our Faith. Through the death of Jesus, all has been changed and will never be the same. That is a good thing, though. It allows us to put away sin and death and walk a new path in God’s light, as we celebrate in Baptism. The first thing to be put behind is dignity. Reepicheep, after being brought back to life, finds his tail didn’t make it. He asks Aslan if anything can be done, to which the Lion replies: “I have sometimes wondered, friend, whether you do not think too much about your honour.” The first thing to note is that Reepicheep has not met Aslan before, yet Aslan approaches him like an old friend. The same is true for us with God. We may not always know or see God, yet God knows us, as the Lord tells the Prophet Jeremiah from the start of his ministry. We should also note that Aslan does give in to Reepicheep’s request, but not for the sake of Reepicheep’s dignity. The other mice are ready to cut off their own tails if, as they say “our Chief must go without his.” Aslan tells Reepicheep his tail will be restored because of “the love that is between you and your people.” It is love in the end, not pride, that Aslan looks for. The same is true with God as we see in the Two Great Commandments. Here we see that Aslan could have originally acted to heal Reepicheep, yet chose to allow Lucy to do so. This is a reminder of the responsibility God gives over to us. After all, Jesus ascends into Heaven at the end of Luke (and the start of Acts), giving the Apostles responsibility to spread the Gospel. This is similar to how Aslan leaves once Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are coronated as Kings and Queens of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We also learn that the talking mice gained their intellect after they helped cut away the bonds around Aslan on the Stone Table during Aslan’s sacrifice in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The love Aslan feels for them now stems from the gratitude the Lion feels for their help in Aslan’s darkest moment. It shows that Aslan lives in solidarity with the talking animals, just as Jesus lived in solidarity with us as humans. Reepicheep is not the only one who needs to let go. The Telmarines must do so as well. It is declared that “Narnia would henceforth belong to the Talking Beasts and the Dwarfs and Dryads and Fauns and other creatures quite as much as to the men.” There’s an equality that is needed among the citizens of Narnia, not unlike that which has been needed in our own world as witnessed through events like the Civil Rights Movement. This equality comes from our status of all being one in Christ Jesus as Paul states. Some see the need for this and even take joy in it. Others do not. These are primarily those who have been in power before: the older men and those who served under Miraz. Aslan could tell these men they must live in the new order or else. Instead Aslan, like God, chooses to show mercy. He gives them an out, a way back to where their people originally came from. I once heard someone say that the economy of Heaven is not fair, and that is a good thing for us. If it were fair, Jesus would not have offered us a way out from our sins. Aslan is the same. Instead of leaving the mice tailless, he restores Reepicheep’s. Instead of granting the older Telmarines’ their due, he offers them a merciful way out. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy give up something to help the Telmarines come to trust Aslan and his magical offer to return the Telmarines to the world they originally came from, the same world of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They give up their continued time in Narnia and choose to return home. This is a big loss for Peter and Susan as this is their last adventure in the land of Narnia. However, out of kindness they make this sacrifice. Caspian must let go as well, although one of these instances isn’t really much of a sacrifice for him. Aslan tells Caspian that his rule as King will be under Aslan and the High King Peter. Caspian, however, didn’t immediately see himself as sufficient to rule. Aslan applauds him for this and tells Caspian if he had felt sufficient, he would have proved himself unworthy to the task. In this, we must remember Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9, that the power of God “is made perfect in weakness.” In addition, we must not forget what we learn from the story of Jesus’ birth, that “the power of God is found in the village, not in the palace.” I would also say this is not much of a sacrifice for Caspian because of his respect for Old Narnia, including the High King. For the same reason, we as Christian ministers do not call ourselves Apostles because we respect of the ministry of the first leaders of the church. It is worthy noting that Peter is named for one of the greatest among those first Apostles. What Caspian must actually let go of is his lineage. He learns that all the Telmarines, including him, come from Earth. This is how he is even able to rule over Narnia, for it is according to what Aslan set up at the beginning of creation in The Magician’s Nephew that the children of Adam and Eve are meant govern in Narnia. The Telmarines it turns out, though, are descended from pirates, which is upsetting to Caspian. Aslan states this, concerning the lineage of Adam and Eve: “It is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth.” Aslan refers to a concept pioneered by Christian thinker and mathematician Blaise Pascal, who spoke of the greatness and wretchedness of man. We are great in that we are created by God, yet wretched due to our sin. We must never forget either as Christians, but hold these concepts in tension as Pascal reminds us. Aslan even, in a very loose sense, does some letting go. While the Lion left soon after they saved the day in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan now stays and has a feast with all the Narnians. Aslan is not above spending time with the subjects of Narnia. It also serves as a reminder to us that Jesus is present with us in the feast of Eucharist we celebrate every Sunday. We should also note that Bacchus is present in the feast, as he has been before now. This is a nod to Lewis’ love of classics and mythology. For the recent film adaptation of Prince Caspian, Bacchus was taken out as a character. However, we should not be insulted by Bacchus’ presence. After all, Bacchus is subservient to Aslan always. This is a reminder that Jesus is the head of the feast. In Matthew, the leaders of the Pharisees and Scribes chastise Jesus for taking for not fasting. Jesus points out that it is not possible to fast when the bridegroom is present. Jesus isn’t there to keep us from life, but to help us enjoy it more fully in the best and most responsible way. Finally, Edmund is forced to let go of his torch (flashlight) because he leaves it in Narnia. This is an amazing gift though. No longer having it after just a second on the train platform is a wonderful proof that their journey to Narnia wasn’t just something that happened in their heads, but was indeed real. GSH will return in 3 weeks!
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In the previous chapter, we saw that Peter was left to take his own action while waiting for Aslan. That work continues in Chapter 14 with Peter’s duel versus Miraz. However, Aslan does not leave Peter and Caspian’s army completely alone. We witness "Dryads and Hamadryads and Silvans" that Aslan woke surrounding them just as Trumpkin and Trufflehunter comment on their wish that Aslan would act. However, Peter still must do the work he’s been given to do. These beings are a reminder of Aslan’s presence, and they are there to ensure that the Telmarines, in the end, will not betray their agreement to honor the results of the duel. They are a reminder that even when we must act on our own for our Lord, God is still there to give us aid and protection when we need it. Unfortunately Aslan’s allies are needed. Though Peter acts like a perfect gentleman the whole fight, even allowing time for Miraz to get up after he falls, the Telmarines claim treachery while they are the ones being treacherous. They claim Peter has dishonourably felled Miraz when they themselves are the ones to actually kill him. It is a common trick for the enemy to claim falsehood when it is evil one who is actually untrue. This activity worms its way into humans as well. We see this in Potiphar’s wife in Egypt, who in Genesis 39 accuses Joseph of attacking her after he spurned her advances. God takes this action and uses it to save all of Egypt as wells as Joseph’s family. Aslan too uses all the bad from before for the good of Old Narnia now. During all this time, Aslan has been doing the work to free Narnia. Not only does he free the Ford of Beruna and the animals, he frees the Telmarines as well. This mirrors God’s own work to free us from the bondage of sin by bringing us to new life in Christ Jesus.
Jesus sends Seventy of His followers to spread the Good News to the towns around Him, just as the Apostles later go to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Aslan does the same thing in the towns they pass now. Just as with the Seventy, some listen to Aslan and come, while others do not. It might seem strange that Aslan is coming to set the Telmarines free. After all, they are the ones who enslaved Old Narnia. Rather, we should say, the leaders of the Telmarines did the enslaving, and they enslaved their own people as well. Aslan cares for all in His lands, and so he does the work to free everyone who will listen to Him. Like Jesus, Aslan also takes the time to heal those who need, specifically Caspian’s former nurse. This is a reminder of what Aslan’s true work in the world is. Aslan is there to bring healing and freedom to those who need it, not to simply lead armies off into war. After all, the war against true evil has long been over, and it is simply humans who fight among themselves now. Aslan in Narnia, like God in our world, is there to help heal us from our strife, not to lead to more of it. First and foremost, the work of spreading the Good News, setting the captive free, and restore us to wholeness is important and necessary in Narnia as on Earth. Please note, Encanto is rated PG. In Luke 10:17-20, the Seventy Jesus sends out to proclaim the Word of God return "with joy" that "even the demons submit" to them in Jesus' name. Jesus ends his response to them saying, "do not rejoice at this, that the demons submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Encanto gives us a sense of what Jesus means. The Madrigals have superpowers, but they learn this is not what matters most. It wasn't even the point of them receiving their magic candle in the first place, as discussed before. The point of the the candle was to give them a fresh start. Throughout the movie, we see they need a fresh start now. It's not thanks to their powers they are able to rebuild. In fact, it takes rebuilding to get their powers back. Instead, it is their ability to come together, as a family and community, to do the work needed to build their home again that restores them not to their former state but to a new and better way of being for all of them than before. What matters for the Madrigals is that they have a new start, both when they first got their powers and now when they have them back. That is what having our names written in Heaven means. We have gained a fresh start from the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else matters for us, just as it didn't for the Seventy or the Madrigals. |
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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