By Viola Larson
I am reading a new book, Live like a Narnian: Christian Discipleship in Lewis’ s Chronicles; the author, Joe Rigney, reminds the reader that Lewis saw goodness and joy in feasting, celebrations, the coming of spring and certainly Christmas. In the chapter, “The Witch’s War on Joy,” the reader begins to understand how precious is the gift of joy.
Rigney writes of how the white Witch with Edmund comes upon a party of several creatures of Narnia who are feasting together and she accuses them of gluttony and self-indulgence, then turns them to stone. Of her actions the author writes:
The benefit of the scene is that it demonstrates that the witch’s evil is not fundamentally about winter and cold weather, but about a deep-seated hostility to life, joy, and celebration. The Witch loves death and her icy gripe on Narnia is simply one expression of this overall hatred of life.
But we are nestled into the One who is life and the great enemy of real life is already defeated by the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. So there is joy, great joy in this season of Advent and Christmas.
Read more at http://naminghisgrace.blogspot.com/2013/12/hatred-of-life-and-joy-of-christmas.html