The following sermon, "Fortress," was preached on Reformation Sunday, October 26th, 2014. In C.S. Lewis’s book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a war is mounting. The White Witch is gaining momentum. Good is yielding to evil. The four children of the story are fearful about what will happen. It is at this point that Aslan the mighty lion, and the Christ-like figure, speaks. He says to the trembling girl named Susan, “You have too many fears, my child.” You have too many fears. Why? You know God. You know of his love for you. You call on his name. Do you ever wonder why it is that while you have faith in God, you’re still so often afraid? At times you feel so insecure or discouraged. You often return to self-doubt and self-pity. You still get overwhelmed by uncertainty and worry. You trust the eternal God, but still . . . “You have too many fears, my child.”
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There is a power in a story. We are all captivated by a great story. Hollywood tells stories. Pop music and country music tell stories. News media report on (and sometimes create) stories. I think it’s critical for followers of Jesus to tell stories too.
In his essay, “On Stories,” C.S. Lewis wrote, “The story does what no theorem can quite do.” Lewis had been skeptical of Christ as a young man and story was critical in his conversion. He could rationalize all the logical arguments made for the Christian faith (the "theorem"). But ultimately, he was so compelled by the story of Christ. He recounted his late night conversations with J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings), and the revelation that the Christian story was "the true myth" that "really happened." |
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