Looking for Something to Read?

It was in college that I was first introduced to The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis.  Narnia is the name of Lewis's fantasy land in which a group of children have various adventures.  The Narnia books also "paint pictures" of the Christian life and understanding.

One of my favorite pictures is of the outdoor climate, the elements in Narnia.  In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, when the children initially enter Narnia, it's dismal, cold, and snowy.  One character describes it as "always winter and never Christmas."  

Now it took me awhile to "get" that idea, since in our culture the ideal Christmases always come with snow.

But in Narnia, Christmas was never coming, or so it seemed.


However, midway through the story, Father Christmas (Santa Claus of all people!) arrives.  The snow starts melting, green grass and flowers appear, and birds begin chirping.  Spring has come to Narnia!

And the reason for the thaw, for the new growth, the new life - Aslan, the story's Christ figure, has arrived.

In the Bible's Old Testament, the Lord promised His people that a Messiah, a savior, would come, to make things right in this world.  The people looked and waited for, and trusted in this promise.

"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land."  Jeremiah 23:5

I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.  Zechariah 3:9b

But for the Old Testament people, the Bible says...

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  Hebrews 11:13

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  Galatians 4:4-5

Once Jesus was born, things were different.  The promise of hope was that a Messiah would come to free the people, to bring them back to the Lord; and with Jesus, that hope was fulfilled.  The long winter was over; spring was here.

No matter how bad things in this life are or how bad they get, we enjoy the privilege of living in this time period, a period that Jesus has entered into.  He came and died for the sins of the world, He defeated death and rose from the grave, He sent us the Holy Spirit, and now He, Jesus, rules and reigns.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  Isaiah 61:10a