“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
(Psalms 77:11-12 NIV)
| “And now hear your task. Far from here in the land of Narnia there lives an aged king who is sad because he has no prince of his blood to be king after him. He has no heir because his only son was stolen from him many years ago, and no one in Narnia knows where that prince went or whether he is still alive. But he is. I lay on you this command, that you seek this lost prince until either you have found him and brought him to his father’s house, or else died in the attempt, or else gone back to your own world.” “How, please?” said Jill.“ I will tell you, Child,” said the Lion. “These are the signs by which I will guide you in your quest. First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; you must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to the ruined city of the ancient giants. Third; you shall find a writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; you will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan. ”As the Lion seemed to have finished, Jill thought she should say something. So she said, “Thank you very much. I see.” “Child,” said Aslan, in a gentler voice than he had yet used, “perhaps you do not see quite as well as you think. But the first step is to remember.”* |
As a child I read all 7 books of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” series. “The Silver Chair” was probably my least favorite. The story seemed slow, dull, and meaningless; what did this have to do with God anyway? But as an adult, I’ve come to a much greater understanding of its message.
Jill and Eustace are tasked to go on a journey to rescue a young prince who was kidnapped. Aslan (the Jesus character) gives them directions on how to do this and ends with the sage advice, “The first step is to remember.” This wisdom applies to travel directions (“where are we going?”) but also to life in general. The first step IS to remember.
Remember your identity in Christ. When we become believers we become children of the Most High God, bought by Jesus’s blood on the cross, given the gift of Holy Spirit, and made into New Creations because of the work of God within us.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Remember what Jesus has done for us and how he asked us to remember him.
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV)
Remember gifts of friends, family, conversations, places, events, and other things that have shaped you.
“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” (Deuteronomy 32:7 NIV)
Jill and Eustace were to repeatedly say out loud the four signs, but they did not keep this practice. It cost them many days on their journey. In the end, they completed Aslan’s task, but not without great misery. “If only they had continued to remember their directions,” we think. But what important message from God have we forgotten?
Today, let us remember what God has spoken to us.
God,
Thank you for your call to remember your gift of grace to us in the elements of communion. Thank you for your call to remember our identity as your children and the many gifts and blessings you have placed in our lives. Help us to remember these wonderful things and also the words you have spoken into our hearts that we might know you and serve you in this world. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
*From The Silver Chair
Compiled in A Year with AslanThe Silver Chair. Copyright © 1953 by C. S. Lewis Pte., Ltd. Copyright renewed © 1981 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.
(Originally published July 14, 2022.)