My good friend Suzi is an artist and one of her many talents and trades is pottery. I've known Suzi almost as long as I've lived in Hot Springs, and I moved here in 1995.
Suzi has been through some very hard things. Very, very hard. Suzi's faith in a faithful GOD, and Suzi's hope in His Living WORD, gave her the courage she chose to employ in her deep grief and sorrow to welcome joy and life into her world again, and stay there. Living in the tension that Paul writes of to the Corinthians, "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing"....I share this with you so that you know that Suzi's art comes from a place of strength that has overcome a darkness that wanted to destroy her. Her handiwork shouts and sings, "Life!" and it's not just the vibrant colors and the remarkable talent she has. She is annointed. Her life and her work are living proof of the Resurrection Hope we have in Jesus, and you can see it in everything she does.
Suzi made a cupp for me and gave it to me for my birthday, twice. Twice, because she gave it to me for my 49th Birthday and then again for my 51st Birthday. When she gave it to me for my 49th birthday, it was unpainted and unfired. She wanted me to pray over it and then visit her in her studio and paint it myself. She knew how much I loved the day I spent with her in her studio, painting a plate, and so she made a cupp for me, with the same idea in mind.
The moment I saw my gifted cupp, I knew what it meant to me! ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE!
The cupp has 3 dimensional flowers and butterflies, which speak of spring, and which remind me of Narnia, and the simultaneous storyline to Aslan is on the Move: Part 1, which I will tell you now. Remember I told you that Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and 3 of the 4 Children came upon Father Christmas in the Forest, who presented them with gifts and cupps of tea. Remember I told you Edmund wasn't with them. That is because Edmund was with the White Witch, who had deceived him into betraying his family to her. With Edmund's shared news to the witch that his siblings were with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and that they were planning to make their way that night to meet ASLAN at the Stone Table, the Witch was determined to find and catch them first. She had instructed some of her wolves to search for the party Edmund had left, and to kill them all on the spot. When the wolves returned to her with the report that the party of 5 had already left for the Stone Table, and that they couldn't track them because of the fresh falling snow, the Witch doubled down in her determination to catch them and sped through the falling snow, with Edmund, coatless and cold, in the sleigh by her side. It was a miserable night for him, as the wind and snow was cold and wet, and he had nothing to stave it off. His thoughts were no help to him, because he was beginning to realize the truth that the White Witch was not the Queen of Narnia, as she had told him, and that all the things he had told himself about her to make him believe she was true and right, now sounded empty, and he felt very foolish, and very alone. He got no rest that night, as his siblings did, in the secret cave, and the Christmas feast he came upon in the morning did not leave him glad. He didn't see Father Christmas himself, but hearing the witch shout for the sleigh to stop, he spotted a Christmas party attended by forest animals. This infuriated the white witch, and when she confronted the creatures about their festivities, the fox told her they had been visited by Father Christmas who had given them their table spread. In her anger at such a joyous celebration, she punished the party goers by waving her wand and turning them all into stone. Lewis mentions at this point, that for the first time, Edmund felt sorry for someone other than himself, at the same time he was feeling less and less comfortable with his evil mistress. After their brief stop to put an attempted end to Christmas, they raced on in their sleigh, but only for a time, because the snow was becoming wetter and the weather was becoming foggy and warm. This change in the atmosphere eventually brought them to a complete stop where they had to abandon their sledge and continue their quest on foot. Of course when this happened, the Witch ordered that Edmund's hands be tied behind his back, and that the dwarf would keep hold of the rope by which he was bound. You really must read or listen to at least the rest of this chapter. It's Chapter 11 if you want to look it up. But then, you really may as well read all 17 chapters. The description that Lewis gives as the evil begins to give way to the power of the True King of Narnia brings me to tears every time I read it or hear it read. I have the very end of this chapter written out and on the refrigerator door of the New Cozy Christmas Cottage. In the Original Cozy Christmas Cottage, it was taped inside the door of the cupboard that held my Christmas Cupps.
In the scene where they must leave their ride behind, the birds begin to sing and play, the snow begins to melt and fall from the tree branches; the ice cracks and the water starts rushing again, flowers burst into bloom, the sky becomes blue, and a light breeze blows. These are the lines I have memorized from the end of the chapter: "This is no thaw," said the dwarf, suddenly stopping. "This is Spring. What are we to do? Your winter has been destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan's doing."
Edmund's part of the story, ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE, and the weakening of the White Witch's evil power that I just shared with you is what I thought of the moment I opened my gift from Suzi on my 49th birthday. I kept the cupp in sight for almost 2 years, and it served as a reminder to me, ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE. This is no thaw! This is Spring! Your winter is destroyed, I tell you! This is Aslan's doing!
Seeing Suzi's handiwork encouraged my prayers for my family, for the things GOD has called me to, for the places that I see evil, and desire to see Christmas, and Spring, freedom and joy. I didn't mean to keep it so long, but sometimes life marches on and projects are left undone.
On the first Sunday of Ascent, which is a time in January/February that I read through the Psalms of Ascent, I met Suzi to pray and she said, "Bring your cupp." We had already agreed that I should give it back to her to paint, and I knew right where it was, so I grabbed it on my way out the door. We talked and prayed, and I left my cupp with her.
Suzi texted me that night and asked what words or Scriptures I wanted painted on my cupp. I sent a link to of the story I just shared with you. She replied, "Got it! I know what to do!" and I was confident she did.
The morning after my 51st "Christmas Eve" Birthday, I met Suzi, per our tradition, for coffee at what I call the Christmas coffee place, because the address is 1225. The total for our drinks was $11.81, which astonished and encouraged me, and even though Suzi paid, she let me keep the receipt. Another friend I had prayed with the night before my birthday, was born in November of '81, so 11/81, and that made my Christmas Eve Birthday Christmas Coffee that much more delightful!
When I opened my gift, I saw that it was my Birthday Cupp and I burst into tears. Suzi took a couple of unflattering photos of my reaction, as I am not a photogenic crier, but I cherish those photos because that moment in time was so precious. So much more than I can convey in this story was going on at that tiny table between friends. Suzi knows the LORD like I do, personally and tangibly. She knows the WORD and feasts on it. She loves Lewis as much as anyone I know, AND she has known ME for a very long time. All of that was and is in the cupp she gave back to me. Even the picture of receiving something back was meaningful to me.
Suzi's hand shaped, hand painted, fired and wrapped up cupp, made the words of hope by Lewis that I have cherished for so long, through battle after battle, come alive. I held in my hands a masterpiece of art and truth. Of triumph over evil. There is power in evil, and there is power in lies. But there is no evil that overcomes God's promise, there is no lie that will not melt in the presence of TRUTH, and Love will always have the final word. I turned my cupp around and around, and it was all there! I don't know how she did it, but she captured every detail and all the hope of Lewis 'writing: a long, cold winter, induced by an evil desire to destroy life and joy had been overcome by the power of the Great Lion!
I looked inside my cupp. Along the top, against the bold splash of vibrant yellow gold Suzi had painted in strong declaration, ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE.
