Thoughts from Pastor Stan

SERMON NOTES

NARNIA

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

“Turkish Delight”

PASSING OF THE PEACE

QUESTION: Do we really need Christmas? or (What’s the purpose of Christmas?)

FAVORITE HYMN?

Joy to the World

(v3) No more sins and sorrows grow

O Little Town of Bethlehem

(v3) But in this world of sin

(v4) Cast out our sin and enter in

HARK THE HERALD ANGEL SING

(vs 1) “God and sinner reconciled”

QUESTION: What does sin have to do with Christmas?

QUESTION: Is there sin today? Narnia? Bible Times?

QUESTION: Why?

Rules of Relationship broken? (purpose of life; relationship)(NEWS?)

QUESTION: What do you need?

CHRISTMAS EVE (Call to Worship)(place in order of need)

If our greatest need was for information,

God would have sent a teacher

If our greatest need was for technology

God would have sent a scientist

If our greatest need was for money

God would have sent a banker

If our greatest need was for entertainment

God would have sent an entertainer

But our greatest need was for forgiveness

So, God sent us the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ

LAST WEEK - ADVENT 1 (Christmas is Coming)

Luke 2:10, the angel said, “Behold! I bring you good news of a great joy..” Narnia says, Christmas is coming.

LAST WEEK NARNIA

Lucy playing hide in seek, hid inthe wardrobe closet and then traveled to a new land called Narnia, where is is always winter and never christmas (because of a curse)

THERE’S SOMETHING MORE TO CHRISTMAS

Than presents

Than a baby lying in a manger

QUESTION: What makes a baby lying in a manger special?

Why would magi, or 3 kings, or wise men bring gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh because a child is born

INTRO TO NARNIA

to answer that question, let us once again crack the wardrobe and enter Narnia

LAST WEEK (in Narnia)

Lucy, the youngest of four children entered a new and strange land of Narnia, while playing hide n seek and entering a wardrobe closet, thinking it an excellent place to hide. she met a new creature named Mr. Tumnaus and she learned that Narnia was a land under curse: “Always winter, never Christmas.” It is a cold land of snow and cold feelings, but it is also a land anticipating the advent of Aslan.

PUPPET MESSAGE

Will do anything for Turkish Delight?

Is there anything you would do for your “Turkish Delight”?

INTRO FOR THIS WEEK

QUESTION: Favorite thing to eat/Candy?

Intro to clip

Edmund follows Lucy through the wardrobe closet into Narnia. She is unaware that Edmund is in Narnia. He then encounters the witch of Narnia who is responsible for making it always winter but never Christmas.

CLIP: 29:42 - 34:16 (Edmund Encounters Witch)

She offers Edmund anything in the world that he would like to eat, he chooses Turkish Delight. And the first step of betrayal begins. He is willing to “sacrifice” his brother and sisters for Turkish Delight and a chance to rule

The Witch knows how to tempt Edmund, when she asks, “What would you like best to eat?” (p. 31)

REMEMBER: We always have a choice on how to respond to temptation

TURKISH DELIGHT - “the sweet poison of the false infinite”

Highly Overrated Sweet (the name promises more than it delivers)

Treat given at Christmas (but us, we have no idea)

Essay, “The First and Second Things” “By valuing too highly a real but subordinate good, we... come near to losing that good itself.” (similar to Augustine’s concept of sin). I.e. is there anything wrong with Turkish Delight?

“...thought only of trying to shovel down as much turkish Delight as he could, and the more he ate the more he wanted to eat...”(p. 32)

“At last the turkish Delight was all finished and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box and wishing that she would ask him whether he would like some more....this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, go on eating it till they killed themselves. (p. 33)

“Edmund was already feeling uncomfortable from having eaten too many sweets, and when he heard that the Lady he had made friends with was a dangerous witch he felt even more uncomfortable. But he still wanted to taste that Turkish Delight again more than he wanted anything else.” (p 38)

“I say,” said Lucy, “you do look awful, Edmund. Don’t you feel well?”

“I’m all right,” said Edmund, but this was not true. He was feeling very sick.” (p. 39)

SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:23

3For the wages of sin is death,

Note: Edmund is in denial (sin impacts our ability to know ourselves)

Note: Sin is fun. If it wasn’t, there would be a problem with it.

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 9: 17 & 18

17 "Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!"

18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave.

NOTE: the taboo tantalizes

LET’S CUT EDMUND SOME SLACK - maybe he didn’t know ...

QUESTION: Would we sin, if we knew it was a sin?

POINT: Edmund is about to break the rules of relationship: betrayal

QUESTION: Have you ever known anyone to break the rules of relationship.

Has anyone ever betrayed you?

How do you feel and what do you do?

OR: Have you ever betrayed?

Have you ever tossed your values away because of something?

Have you ever arose to a position and then once there felt yucky?

INTRO TO SCRIPTURE

Question: Why do we really need Christmas?

INTRO TO SCRIPTURE: ROMANS

Theme: righteousness of God

People are made right with God by faith alone, apart from human effort, salvation is available to all. Theme: 1:16 all people whether Jew or Gentile are sinful

SCRIPTURE: Romans 7 (Oklahoma - “I am Just a Girl who Can’t say ‘No’”)

14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

QUESTION: Why is there an inner struggle?

Because sin is fun?

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 20: 17

17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

POINT: Turkish Delight

Each of us has that one thing in our life that compels us more than any other thing.

In Narnia, Edmund’s favorite thing in the whole world is Turkish Delight. The White Witch entices Edmund by giving him his most favorite thing in the whole world...turkish Delight

IN THE REAL WORLD, we are enticed by our most favorite thing, our Turkish Delight. When we say “yes” to our Turkish Delight too much, give it power over us, then we are held as a slave to Turkish Delight

QUESTION: What helps to say “no”?

What about Faust?

HOW IS THIS LIKE FAUST?

The Turkish Delight for Faust was knowledge

POINT

So, the purpose of Christmas is because of Turkish Delight

QUESTION: What does the bible say?

LUKE 2:10

The Angel said, “Do not be afrad. I bring you good news (Gospel) of a great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Jesus was born to be our Savior

(lot of Christmas songs about that)

but why do we need a savior?

Next week will find out

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."