I
remember a trying season of my life. I was alone in a new city, doing a job I
did not enjoy. And though I knew Jesus at this point, I could not discern his
voice. I could not feel his touch nor sense his Spirit. In one particular
moment, I was driving to work in the pitch black on a fairly uneventful
morning. Without warning, my soul began to constrict. The despair of this world’s
brokenness began to wrap itself around me. I witnessed a montage of horrifying
clips showing pure evil, pure, mournful horror: the death of nations, the
defects of children, the hatred of our hearts. I saw genocides, rapes, blood-starved
murders. I felt the fear, terror, oppression and destruction of an earth which
brought me such joy as a child. And in tear-stricken agony I screamed out in my
car overcome by this hell I could not turn off,
“God, is there no hope?!”
A moment’s silence ensued. But then
I heard it. I felt it. I recognized, through faith, the answer to my question
coming from another place, a holy realm, a green and jovial land. It is the kingdom
that invaded our darkness and brought light; light and laughter. But what I
heard was not the deep, golden, bellowing voice many of us imagine God to sound
like. Rather, the peace that filled my soul came through his ever-obedient and faithful
servant, the beer-drinking, fish eating, dam building, Mr. Beaver of Narnia. I
saw him rise into action alarmed, spew out his beer and faithfully repeat as unwaveringly
as he had the first time to the four Pevensie children, and as he always would
for anyone who needed to hear the truth: “Oh yea! There’s a great deal more
than hope…Aslan is on the move.”
Do you know what this means?
God has always been working his
plan of redemption. He has always been moving in souls and making streams of
fresh water in a dry and barren desert. He has always been speaking through
talking beavers, or crack addicts, or adulterers, or the self-righteous elite,
or children. He speaks however his people will listen just so he can give them
his message: I love you. I'm making it all new again! You don't have to be afraid any longer. All shall be well.
And this Great Story tells us it
is the truth; he genuinely loves his creation. He loves his men and women and
always has. He loves his earth and his animals and that has never changed. The
God of this Story is alive and has always been so, has always been moving,
working, humiliating himself for love, creating and repairing for love,
hovering and laughing all for love.
That is the true theology of this
Great Story.
His love has never, and will
never, end. It is eternal.
This theology has changed the way
I respond to the morning sun and I did not even know it. It seems to be always rising,
not setting. I have to tell someone.
There is hope…Jesus is on the
move.
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