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The Lion’s World Gathering Welcome to Foundation and our last Sunday service on the theme of ‘The Lion’s World’. Today is the last Sunday in the church year, we celebrate the festival of Christ the King and begin to think about advent and journeying towards Christmas. I’m more than a little excited to be using the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a vehicle for our prayers and reflections this evening. We’re here in Professor Digory Kirke’s house which is where the Pevensie children were evacuated to in the first chapter of the Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We’re going to begin with a time of stillness as we listen to a song inspired by the 2005 film. TRACKCollect God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory. AmenReading 1Mark 10 - 13-16?The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.1 Corinthians 13New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)The Gift of Love13?If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.?2?And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.?3?If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,[ HYPERLINK "" \l "fen-NRSV-28653a" \o "See footnote a" a]?but do not have love, I gain nothing.4?Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant?5?or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;?6?it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.?7?It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8?Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.?9?For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;?10?but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.?11?When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.?12?For now we see in a mirror, dimly,[ HYPERLINK "" \l "fen-NRSV-28662b" \o "See footnote b" b]?but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.?13?And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.ReflectionIn Mark chapter 10 we are called to come to God like children and yet in 1 Corinthians we are also told to give up childish things. So as we think about finishing this church year and perhaps making some new years resolutions for our spirituality this evening… how do we make sense of these two readings? I think it’s a lot about the nature of the kingdom of God – I find there’s many juxtaposing ideas in the bible, Christian faith is a bit of a paradox within a conundrum wrapped up in a mystery. But the nature of the kingdom of God is that we have to come into it with the simplicity of a child, perhaps with the na?ve fearlessness that children show, maybe our faith needs the tenacity of a child and I believe we definitely need to enter it with the curiosity of a child, asking questions, exploring, investigating, discovering. The Corinthians reading on love that we so often hear at weddings is an interesting contrast with the celebration of Christ the King as we tend to focus more on the Heavenly rather than earthly aspects of Jesus. But the reason I chose to use the Corinthians reading this evening is the line about “putting an end to childish ways.?12?For now we see in a mirror, dimly,[ HYPERLINK "" \l "fen-NRSV-28662b" \o "See footnote b" b]?but then we will see face to face.” To mix our fantasy metaphors for a moment - I hope that this evening’s experience will be a little like alice going through the looking glass – removing that mirror that Corinthians talks about, giving us some space to encounter God face to face. The key to all of this is to come to God with the maturity of an adult but with the simplicity of a child. It’s a way of engaging with God that means we can bring all our emotional needs and deal with them in the moment – my children forget their hurts in a couple of minutes, children tend to move on but as adults we hold on to things. We need to let go of life’s struggles, give them to God and move on in our journey of faith. I know that is not always simple and it’s much easier to say than do but I hope the extended time of reflection this evening will mean you and God can do some business together… Each of the stations you will find in Narnia explores something that I believe it’s worth considering at the end of this church year. As we head into Advent, perhaps there’s things we need to leave behind, give to God, lay down, ask forgiveness for, there’s plenty to consider at the prayer stations tonight. Once we go through the wardrobe, background music will play. When the music stops, it’s time to complete our service back here in the real world… If there is food, please do eat it – feel free to pick up props and sit in the snow, on the thrones or in Mr Tumnus chair as you reflect on the different themes. Immerse yourself in the story as you pray. CS Lewis said… “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless, I pray because the need flows out of me all the time – waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God – it changes me” Let’s hear part of the story from the professor before we head through the wardrobe…The Professor Stations (music!) Return to the real world So, here we are, back again in the real world. I hope you have enjoyed the experience and managed to encounter God in a different way this evening… In a moment we’re going to sing together but as we finish the church year and look to the coming of the Christ child, let’s take a moment of stillness to reflect on this quote… In your world I have another name, you must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that knowing me here for a little you may know me better there. SILENCESong - Prayer Lord of the past and the future: we thank you for the last Church Year. We thank you for the fellowship and joy of our worship together as a community. We pray for the coming year, that we may continue to explore your world and grow in faith and knowledge of You,?Amen. ................
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