Lucy has wandered into the woods of Narnia from the wardrobe door, when she sees a lamp light, glowing in the snow; “…she stood looking at it, wondering why there was a lamp post in the middle of a wood and wondering what to do next.”
Advent is a season for hope and expectation. The lamp post is a beacon for Lucy and probably for the creatures of Narnia, too, suffering under the cruelty of the White Witch. The lamp post marks the western boundary of Narnia, too; a burning lamp that’s a beacon and a border, a sign of hope and a marker of where one place ends and another begins.
C. S. Lewis’ book offers its theology to us in images: a lamp post, a robin, a box of candy. Images can be analyzed but their power is that they can produce feelings in us just by looking at them, or imagining them.
We look for promises of hope in this life. A lamp post in a snowy wood, like the candles of the Advent wreath, reminds us and helps us truly feel that: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)
Rev. Heidi’s reflections are taken from the book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, a story that stands by itself but also was written with Christian undertones and symbolism and many Advent themes. Buy the book (on Amazon or Kindle or any bookstore) or watch one of the movie versions.
