Sermon Tone Analysis

*Studying the Bible with Brother Jack*

*/Part I: The Silver Chair: Sin’s Enchantment /*

*/July 10, 2011/*

 

Prayer

 

*Scripture reading: John 8:31-36*

 

 

The next series

 

I created a *survey* *online* for what to preach.

Turns out, the first two picks were ones I’m preaching in the fall, and the next will be part of the Inscription series, which means I “have to” preach on the theology in the Chronicles of Narnia.

·         I decided to preach a short series inspired by *my* *mentor*, CS Lewis, or *Jack* as his friends called him.

It is *tricky* to *preach* this because it cannot be a series on Lewis; I respect him and all, but he is *not* *God*.

This church is built on the Bible, not Lewis.

But what Jack has done for me has been to help me understand the Bible with *clarity* and see things in a *new* *light*.

He read very *broadly* and knew *ancient* *literature* very well.

·         Many *scholars* have *narrow* *focuses*, but he had a broad grasp of the whole, and found ways to show how it touches our life.

So then, what I want us to do is not better understand C. S. Lewis, but to *better* *understand* the *Bible* with his *help*.

·         *BTW*: Among American Christians there’s a foolish idea of “just *me* and the *Bible*,” as if God hasn’t spoken to anyone else.

Next week, we will look at *Screwtape* *Letters* and Letters to *Malcom*, Chiefly on *Prayer*.

But this week, we’ll look at one of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Silver Chair.

The power of stories

 

*Stories* have a certain *power*; they sneak past our intellect and make us *feel* something.

Jesus loved using stories; the *Gospels* are filled with parables that say more than a sermon ever could.

For instance, the *Parable* of the *Unforgiving* *Servant* strings the listener along with indignation at lack of mercy, then ZING! this is about you!

I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia since I was 8, and have read it more times than I can count, somewhere on this side of 20, and yet each time I find a *new* *Biblical* *truth* revealed.

I’ve been reading the Chronicles with *Grace* and *Sarah*, and we’ve just finished The *Silver* *Chair*, and I realized it is filled with analogies of sin, how *sin* is an *enchantment* that keeps us bound.

·         As I *retell* story, listen for that theme.

The Short Version

 

The story opens with Eustace *Scrubb* (the brat in Dawn Treader) at school with Jill Pole.

They are chased by *bullies* through a gate and find themselves in *Aslan’s* *country*, a beautiful forest atop a mountain that makes Everest look like Little Mountain.

·         Jill *shows* *off* by standing on the edge of the *cliff*, and then she looks down and sees just how far down it is.

[*p.

12-13*]

 

·         And of course, that animal is *Aslan*; he has blown Scrubb safely to Narnia.

Aslan gave her a *mission*, to find Prince *Rillian*, son of Caspian.

Rillian disappeared ten years prior while hunting for a bright *green* *serpent* that killed his mother.

Aslan gives Jill *four* *signs* she must follow:

 

1.

As soon as they arrive, Eustace will see an *old* *friend* and they must go to him at once.

2.  The must head north out of Narnia to an *ancient* *giant* *city*.

3.

There they will find something *written* in *stone*; they must do what it tells them.

4.  They will recognize the prince because he will be the first person to bid them to do something in *Aslan’s* name.

He makes her *repeat* those *signs* over and over again, until she has then *memorized* *verbatim* and tell her to repeat them every morning when she *awakes* and every night as she *lays* *down*.

As he sends her to Narnia, he warns her that the signs will *look* very different *down* in Narnia and she must not be confused by *appearances*, which is why she *must* *memorize* them.

Once they get to Narnia, they see an old man *embarking* on a *ship* and realize too late that that man was Caspian, and they have already failed (“flubbed”) the first sign.

They head north and are joined by *Puddleglum*, a Marsh-wiggle, like a human with frog features, and all of the personality you’d expect from a frog -- he’s so *pessimistic* that he’d say the half-full glass will probably break when you pick it up.

On their way to find the giant city, they meet a *Lady* dressed in a *green* *dress* and a knight in black armor, who never lifted his visor or spoke.

The Green Lady doesn’t know where the giant city is, but suggests that they *visit* the Gentle Giants of *Hartfang*, where they can get a good meal, a bath, and a comfortable bed.

[p.

79-80]

 

On their way to Hartfang, it began to snow and they stumbled through a strange area, filled with *walls* and *pillars*, and fell into *ditches* that ran in straight lines then stopped.

But they were in such a hurry that they *didn’t* *investigate*.

They get to *Hartfang*, they were delighted to be warm and well-fed.

But that night, Jill has a *dream* that *Aslan* asks her the signs, and she cannot remember them.

He then takes her to the *window*, were she can see the area they had struggled through – a *ruined* *giant* *city*.

They had walked right through it, but were so focused on Hartfang that the missed it, missed the *second* *sign*.

Even worse, she could see that the *trenches* they walked in were massive *letters* cut into the stone, letters that spelled out the words “*Under* *Me*.”

The *third* *sign* and they missed it as well.

They agree to get out of the giants’ castle and under the city.

But that is easier said than done; the giants are in no hurry to let them go.

It turns out they are to be the *main* *course* for dinner the next day; man-pies are a giant delicacy.

They *escape*, but as they are being chased, they hide in a *cave* under the ancient ruins.

In the cave, they fall down a *slope*, miles and miles down.

At the bottom they are captured by a small *army* of *earthmen*, who take them to an underground castle.

In the castle they meet the *knight* who accompanied the Green Lady.

He is a young man, *handsome* and *kind*, but there is something about his *face* that doesn’t seem quite right.

He insists that the getting eaten by giants was some sort of *misunderstanding*, and that the Green Lady, Queen of the Underworld, is *kind* and *virtuous*.

In fact, she has promised to make him *king* of a new kingdom after they *conquer* the *Overworld*.

Furthermore, the Queen has been *freeing* him from an *evil* *enchantment* and he is nearly free from it.

But for one hour every day he must be bound up in a *silver* *chair* or else he would *kill* even his *friends* and then turn into a serpent.

It is almost time for him to be *bound*, so the knight asks his new friends to *stay* with him, but they must *promise* *not* to *release* him, no matter what he says to them.

They readily agree.

[p.

142-144]

 

Yet they hold to their word and *ignore* him.

He become more and more *angry* and starts raving in his *desperation* to be free, as they were warned he would.

But then he begs them in *Aslan’s* *name* to set him free.

What should they do?

They are very *frightened* of what will happen if they free him, but they’ve *failed* every *sign*, and this is the last one.

This must be Prince Rillian.

There really is no question, they know what they should do.

So they set him *free*.

At once, he *jumps* up and grabs his sword, then brings it down on the chair, *destroying* it.

At that moment, the *witch* *returns*, for the queen is a witch, the very witch that *killed* the prince’s *mother* ten years ago.

She is *furious*, but changes her tack, throws *green* *powder* on the fire, and the room fills with a thick, sweet smelling smoke that seems to *fill* their *brain* and makes it hard to think.

As this enchantment sinks in, she *convinces* all of them that the world they knew, the *sun*, the *stars*, the *sky*, and even Aslan, are all *fake*, and this underground world is the only real one.

They’re on the edge of *completely* *giving* *in* to the enchantment, when *Puddleglum* *stomps* out the fire and they are all roused.

The Green Witch turns into a *serpent* and attacks Prince Rillian.

They barely manage to *kill* her before she gets him.

At her death, the *Underworld* is set *free*, and the four of them *return* to *Narnia* by the path the witch built to attack Narnia.

The *story* *ends* with Jill and Eustace return to their school and Aslan helps them *deal* with the *bullies* at their school, so that *no* *more* *kids* could be *tormented* by the bullies.

The Moral of the Story

 

It really is a *great* *story*, and I was not able to do it justice.

I hope you read it soon.

But I hope that my telling painted some of the *picture* that *Lewis* *painted* about the power of *sin*.

a moment of clarity

 

Think back to Rillian’s enchantment: I knew an *elderly* *lady* who was dying of cancer.

They gave her *morphine*, but were giving too much, and she was in a *delusional* state, unable to tell them.

·         To me that seemed to be a type of *Hell*, to be a prisoner in one’s own mind.

Now imagine that for *one* *hour* you have the *clarity* to see what is happening, but your *nurse* *taunted* you and refused to fix it.

*Relate* this back to *sin*: The majority of the time, you’re fooled into thinking that *you’re* *fine*.

Sure there are the *regular* *sins* you struggle with, but you think you have them *under* *control*.

Then something happens and you have a moment of *painful* *clarity* and you see just how *wretched* you are:

 

·         Maybe you get a *glimpse* of how *others* *view* you.

·         Maybe you are *arguing* with a *friend* or your *spouse*, and think, “They just *might* *be* *right*!”

·         Maybe the Holy *Spirit* *convicts* you about something.