Aslan is on the move!
If you know what this means, then you most likely love the writings of CS Lewis as much as I do. While he was a brilliant mind and prolific author, and no contest, my favorite author, it is his classic story of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe that I love the most. I may do well to spend more time pondering Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters, but up to now, it is Narnia that has captured my attention.
Narnia is, according to the character Tumnus, 'all that lies between the lamppost and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea' and, as the story begins, Narnia is under a spell of evil that had made it "always winter and never Christmas" for oh so long. The spell of evil included a web of lies that had drawn in Tumnus, the faun that Lucy met at the lamppost upon her entry into Narnia through a wardrobe in a house filled with so many rooms, hallways, staircases, and doors, that it begged adventure to call.
Tumnus, who had taken service under the White Witch, and was in her pay, to kidnap and turn over to her, any Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve, that he ever came upon. And so it was, that when he met Lucy, and understood that she was a Daughter of Eve, he befriended her and invited her to tea and music by the fire. But when he realized that humans were not what he had been told by the White Witch, and he was woeful of what he had even thought to do, in playing in to her dark magic that had Narnia under her thumb, he changed course, and at the risk of his own life, led Lucy safely back to the lamppost and bid her farewell.
What neither Tumnus nor Lucy knew in the first chapter, is that Aslan, the great Lion, the King of Narnia, the LORD of the whole wood, and the Son of the Great Emporer-beyond-the-Sea, had returned to Narnia, and there were those, such as the story characters, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, who were holding on to the hope of the old rhyme that says,
Wrong will be right, when ASLAN comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
By chapter 7, Lucy, who was the youngest of four children, and the first of her siblings to visit Narnia through the wardrobe, was now in Narnia with her 2 brothers, Peter and Edmund, and her sister, Susan. Lucy led them to Tumnus' cave where she had hoped for a happy introduction of everyone, but instead, they were all distraught to discover that Tumnus had been found out by the White Witch for befriending Lucy, A Daughter of Eve, and that he had been arrested for high treason and was awaiting trial. The children agreed that they should do something to help Tumnus if they could, and while they were wondering how and where to begin, a little robin caught Lucy's attention, and she suggested they follow the bird to see where he might lead them. And so it was, among the evergreen trees of the Narnian forest, they were led to Mr. Beaver, who was waiting for them, under cover, and whose first words to the children were spoken in a whisper, "Further in, come further in," and then he led them into a cozy space among pines, where the trees were so close together, that there was no snow on the forest floor beneath them, but only pine needles. And it was there, that Mr. Beaver introduced himself to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and shared with them, that he had spoken with Tumnus before his arrest, and that Tumnus had left with him, Lucy's handkerchief, as a token of trust, and had asked Mr. Beaver to keep watch for Lucy, and in a low whisper, Mr. Beaver said, "They say ASLAN is on the move--perhaps has already landed." And then he hushed their questions and told them he needed to have a "real talk" with them all, and invited them to dinner.
The real talk and dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver is where the children learned who ASLAN is, and that they themselves were strategic to the Narnian rhyme that promised
When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,
The evil time will be over and done.
They also learned that the quickest way to help Tumnus was by meeting ASLAN at the Stone Table. Word had been sent that the four children were to meet ASLAN there, the very next day. In the summary of a story, you simply cannot follow every thread, so I will leave it up to you to read or listen to the entire story on your own, but for now, I will tell you that Edmund had slipped out of the cave during dinner, and so it was that the trip to the Stone Table was made in haste, only by a party of five: Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and three of the four children: Peter, Susan, and Lucy.
The tricky thing about the trip to the Stone Table to meet ASLAN, is that they had to be both swift and stealthy. Their eagerness to meet ASLAN was almost equally matched with their earnestness not to come upon the White Witch, on their way. Their journey began at night, and hurried as they were, they also had to have some sleep, so Mr. Beaver led them to a secret cave where they were able to rest for more hours than it seemed when they woke up with a jolt, to the sound of jingling bells.
And now I pause this story for just a moment, because I must say, before I tell you what happens next, that one of the best feelings I have ever experienced in my life, is that of relief. And the only thing better than relief, is when the relief is overwhelmed by surprise and joy! What I mean by that is having a burden or fear evaporate in a moment is incredible. I am sure you know what I mean. But when the burden falls from your shoulders, and the fear is chased away, and before you can catch your breath, you are met with a glorious surprise that comes bursting into your heart with joy and cheer, so that your whole body feels like Christmas has come, and Spring has arrived, all at once, that, well, there is just nothing quite like that, don't you agree?
And that is exactly what happens in this part of the story. When the cave sleepers were awakened by sleigh bells, their hearts nearly stopped in their chests, thinking they had been chased down and were likely to be discovered by the White Witch. Mr. Beaver scrambled out of the cave, knowing how to stay hidden, and hoping to see which way she was traveling, and to get a sense of what she might know about their whereabouts.
About 5 minutes later, which had seemed much longer than that, he shouted to them, and this is where the relief and joy commence and overtake the travelers, giving them renewed strength and courage. Because the jingling bells were not those of the White Witch, but rather, Father Christmas! Do you realize what I just said? Father Christmas! This could only signal one thing! The spell was beginning to break. The spell that had made it always winter and never Christmas. Christmas had come! Mrs. Beaver and the 3 children scrambled out of of the cave to see for themselves what Mr. Beaver had declared to them.
Father Christmas spoke, "I've come at last! She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last! ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE. The Witch's magic is weakening." His presence made them feel both solemn and glad all at once, like when everything is holy and happy. He gave them presents, but his gifts were not toys, but tools. There were battles ahead, and weapons, not trinkets, were in order. Peter, he gave a sword, to fight, Susan, a horn to summon help, and Lucy, a small bottle of restorative cordial and a dagger for her defense.
Before he left them, he presented them with a large tray containing five cups and saucers, a bowl of lump sugar, a jug of cream, and a great big teapot all sizzling and piping hot. "Merry Christmas! Long live the True King!" he shouted, and cracked his whip, and he and his reindeer and sleigh were off.
And now you know, if you didn't before, the hopeful words and what they mean, ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE!
