ILLUSTRATION: Video – first walk
CS Lewis’ quote: the God who is not safe but is good
In C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan represents Jesus as the kind and powerful lion-king of Narnia. In the first book of the series, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the following is a very insightful quote on pages 75 and 76:
Shoshana Johnson joined the Army so that she could serve her country while at the same time gain some skills to help her obtain her ultimate goal of becoming a chef. She knew when she signed-up that anything, including war, was possible, but she never dreamed that she would actually be called upon to go to war. Like so many of our brave men and women, when the deployment orders came, Shoshana responded like a champion even though she could hardly bear the thought of leaving her 2 year old daughter behind.
Sunday marked the day that all of God’s people began to lose sight of everything other than the preparations for the most important day of the year. There was much to do. People had come from everywhere to celebrate Passover in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The streets were buzzing on Sunday with lambs being paraded through the streets and scrutinized to see if they could pass the test. The Passover Lamb couldn’t be just any lamb; he had to be a lamb without blemish or defect. A perfect offering to God and a reminder to the people of the sacrifice that had been made so long ago when the “Death Angel” passed over the shanty town homes of the Hebrew slaves and spared their firstborn. (Exodus 12)
There was a time in history when it was said, “all roads lead to Rome.” Well, all roads may have led to Rome at one time, but all roads definitely do not lead to the grace and peace that so many are longing for today. Our troubling times only reflect the deeply troubled hearts of men, women, boys, and girls who are searching for peace and yearning for grace.