Finding God In Narnia:

"Discover the Wonder: He's Closer Than You Might Think"

Sunday, December 4, 2005 - Rev. Kevin Kelly

Mark 1:14-15

Doors, Chasms and Other Worlds

C.S. Lewis in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe invites us to use our imagination. The four children—Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund—discover another world by way of a wardrobe door. They can freely pass back and forth between Narnia and this world. However, when they re-enter this world, they realize they have been greatly transformed by their experiences in Narnia.

Try and remember back to a time when you pretended to be the king of a land, a prince, the hero of a story, and so forth. What were the experiences like? What feelings and emotions were stirred by way of your imagination? I remember the excitement and joy that these experiences brought into my life. However, as we grow older, these experiences are greatly diminished or they become non-existent. Read and reflect on the following from Ephesians.

Ephesians 6 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Do you believe that another spiritual world exists that we cannot see? If you answer “no,” why? Do you believe that gravity exists although you cannot see it? Electricity? Radio waves? Why do so many people struggle with the concept of there being a spiritual world beyond our sight?

What do you think Paul had in mind when he wrote “heavenly realms” in verse 12? What is your understanding of this passage from Paul?

Divine Serendipities Await Us at Every Turn

Ephesians 6 and other biblical passages reveal that a spiritual dimension beyond our sight exists. Do we experience break-ins to our reality from the spiritual realm? Luke 1:29-35 and Luke 2:8-15 reveal two well known contacts between our reality and the unseen spiritual world. Do we experience contacts like these today? Why or why not? How might we experience “divine serendipities” in our world today? Possible answers: Prayer, worship, Bible study, etc. Can you name others? Explain these moments as best you can.

The Gift of Second Sight

NLT 2 Kings 6:17 "Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!' The LORD opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."

Elisha’s servant was given the gift of being able to see what, at first, could not be seen. We often overlook things that God is doing in creation. Maybe it is not as clear as the experience explained in 2 Kings, but can you name times that you may have overlooked a “divine serendipity” that God had place in your path.

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

NIV Mark 1:14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Jesus broke into our world through the miracle of the incarnation. Explore the ways in which the idea of the “kingdom of God” is used in the New Testament. You will need a concordance to perform this study. Did Christ usher in the Kingdom of God, or is it yet to come?

We all need to prepare too meet Christ, either on this earth or in heaven. Are you prepared to meet Christ face to face? Do you know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9)

Discover the Wonder: He's Closer Than You Might Think!