“Beavers, Witches and Lions” a sermon for Advent 2 December 8, 2019 preached at York Pines United Church, Kettleby

Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of God shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the awe of God. His delight shall be in awe of God. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea.  On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Psalm 72:1-8, 18-19

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

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When Lucy backs her way through the wardrobe, she meets another being. Both are surprised and a little frightened. Mr. Tumnus is carrying a lot of packages which he drops as he darts to hide behind a tree trunk. He’s surprised to see a human girl in Narnia.

Probably not more surprised than Lucy – for Mr. Tumnus is a faun…a mythological half human–half goat creature. He has the legs and tail of a goat and the head, arms and torso of a man, and very pointed ears. In fact, he’s a creature from the Greek pantheon of Gods, representing life and fertility. Fauns guided humans in need, although they were also depicted as being a little silly. They also were reputed to play magic pipes, as the God for whom they were also named – Pan.

Tumnus invites Lucy to his home, feeds her and then lulls her to sleep playing a lullaby on his pan-pipe.  When she awakens, he confesses that he must betray her, and turn her over to the White Witch. Now, Lucy is a child – but she’s a child with a strong sense of what is right. As Mr. Tumnus weeps in despair at what he must do, Lucy hands him a handkerchief for his tears, but she digs in her heels and convinces him to repent. Tumnus gains strength and courage from Lucy’s compassion as well as her sense of justice. He changes his mind, and decides to help Lucy escape the witch, even though it means his life will be in danger from the White Witch.

Jadis the White Witch was born on an unknown date long before the creation of Narnia. She is called the White Witch because she brought about the Hundred Years Winter. She is a descendant of a giant and the biblical Adam’s first wife Lilith – and she was one of the Djinn – a word we have translated as “genie”. She claimed to be a Queen through Adam, but in fact was not – not human at all. She has knowledge of magic rules by cruelty, dishonesty, violence, and injustice. Everyone and everything are disposable to her. She sets the various parts of creation against each other in order to divide and retain control. She is afraid of Aslan the Lion.

We often think children can’t grasp certain concepts, or aren’t mature enough to understand. I believe we underestimate our children significantly. Five-year-old Austin Perine, in Birmingham, Alabama uses his allowance to feed homeless. He dresses up in a blue outfit with red tights and a red cape, his T-shirt displays the hashtag “Show Love”. Austin goes, with his father, to the homeless shelters and hands out food even in the hottest weather. Austin knows exactly what he is doing and why. We have seen, in the last few weeks, young people of all ages speaking clearly about what they believe needs to happen in this world – and they are incisive in their articulation. Let us never underestimate the young.

A friend of mine just last week said “Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.” There is deep truth here. Lucy adjusts to the road, but she doesn’t lose herself. She knows who she is, she has compassion, and she also knows right from wrong. She doesn’t have someone making things easy for her along the way – she has to learn to think and respond for herself.  

The other three children eventually find their way to Narnia, together. They too meet an unusual character – a talking beaver. Mr. Beaver leads them to his home, where they meet Mrs. Beaver. What’s the really important part of this story? That the beavers are sentient animals and can talk? Or that their door is open to someone in need? or both - a picture of living creation where humans and animals interact with respect. In this beautiful but cold and frozen place, hospitality is freely and openly offered to strangers. You notice there are few questions, just the boys and Mr. Beaver catching fish for dinner, and Mrs. Beaver and the girls together preparing the table. It’s a feast, where the table is open to everyone without question and without hesitation.  Fish, and potatoes and butter, tea, and a very wonderful sticky marmalade bun. And the food from the table sustains them as they set out on the road, seeking safety.

From the Beavers they learn about Aslan, the coming King, and the role they play in bringing about the New Creation. They learn that sometimes the people who know them and love them also hurt them; and they learn that sometimes people they don’t know at all will stand up for them. This is the part of what Aslan calls the “Deep Magic”, from even before the coming of the White Witch. Justice, righteousness, balance, creative forces – all sentient beings living in harmony with each other, and with the creation around them. And in Lewis’ world, all parts of creation have sentience. All parts of creation are valuable. Peace – true peace based in Love - is paramount.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy learn from the Beavers that they are part of a preparation long awaited – the coming of the great King who will restore the balance, until the kingdom of former times is restored. They learn that it only happens with everyone playing a part, and that every part is critical. Aslan cannot restore creation alone – everyone has a part to play.

Let’s jump back a bit. When they come through the wardrobe, the only one who really recognises the winter cold is Susan. She’s always been considered the bossy one of the four. She’s the second-born of four, but she is also a first-born girl and the oldest girl. And when her mother sends her off at the station, Susan knows the expectation is that she may have to be a mother to the rest for real, depending on whether or not her parent survive the Blitz. Susan is just young enough to need her mother, but already old enough to be a mother. It’s a heavy load.

She notices the cold, and notices the incredible number of fur coats. It makes sense to take what there is right at hand, and make use of it. Susan wants them all to be prepared for whatever may come. But they use what’s at hand. They didn’t run back to get boots and scarves. They made use of what was provided and went from there – into the unknown. The biblical parallel comes to us from the scriptures last week – putting on the robes of righteousness as they go onward.

The Bible is full of stories of God providing. Adam and Eve were ushered out of Eden in rather a hurry, but they were given materials to make clothing; Moses and the Israelites were given manna, quail, water from a rock, and even medicine to cure them of poisonous bites. God says to Jeremiah and to the other prophets that they do not need to worry about what to say – the words will be given. What is needed is given.

Advent is a little like that – it is about awareness, of reflection, but it’s also about being as ready as we can with what God provides. In the leading up time to Christmas, we often spend so much time in ‘preparation’ that we miss the other equally important parts of Advent – to listen, to watch, and to wait. As we follow the story of the Pevensie children, notice the amount of time they spend walking, listening, watching, learning, and waiting. They don’t know what’s coming, but they do know they are part of the greater picture. Although they don’t know it, the children are starting out on a journey which will result in a total power shift in Narnia – when the evil which has gripped the land is overcome. There are visible signs Aslan is on the way – snow melting, flowers beginning to bloom, green returning – hope returning, and the coming of peace. When Aslan comes, peace comes too – but even then, that’s not the end of the journey, nor the story.

We too are continuing a journey – we have been fed, and we carry with us food from the table to sustain us as we continue. But we must also watch, listen, wait, and be prepared – use whatever is at hand as we go, accept the help and companionship offered – and keep going. Aslan is coming – the world is about to turn. May it be so.