The Lamp-Post

"It will not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern, either we shall find strange adventures or else some great changes of our fortunes."

~ Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia).

Now, for a little historical background, the lamp-post is a major geographical feature in the land of Narnia. It originated in the land on the first day of Narnia's creation, brought there by the evil Queen Jadis (aka the White Witch) who had torn off a bar of iron from a London lamp-post to throw at Aslan who was in the middle of creating Narnia with his song. Through the creative power of his song, the bar was transfigured into the enduring lamp-post that burned without fuel for quite a long time. It was, in fact, a living organism. I personally like to call it Mr. Tumnus' lamp-post because that is roughly where Lucy met Mr. Tumnus the fawn when the children emerged from the wardrobe. 

Why bring up and blog about a lamp post on this occasion? Well, I was wondering about what to blog about this evening and then I received a neighborhood alert from my neighbor to lock the doors, turn on the lights, etc... as there had been a shooting about eight blocks from our house. The police were still searching for the subjects and had a helicopter and eventually K-9 units out looking for the suspects. I have a lamp-post in my front yard that pretty much illuminates the middle of our cul-de-sac, and I made the comment on Facebook that Mr. Tumnus' light had been activated.

Why is light such a good defense? Well, for one, when people do evil deeds they generally do it in the dark and they want to try and get away with whatever mischief they are doing. Light dispels darkness. Light also defends me from harming myself. This is I carry around a flashlight (or nowadays a cellphone) to guide my way when hiking or even walking in the dark. There is a security in not only preventing to expose someone if they come onto my lighted residence but also by exposing the inherent dangers my own property poses to me should I venture about without light. Have you ever stubbed that toe on the bedpost in the middle of the night while walking zombie like to the bathroom? I know I have. Hurts like a #&%$*@!^. You get the point.

Do you have light?

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." ~ Psalm 119:105

"God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good..." Genesis 1:3-4

"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:3-5

The nature of God is to take some discarded thing, something ripped off and used as an instrument of violence by a cruel person (in Narnia this was a metal bar and a White Witch) and giving it life and turning it into something majestic, something beautiful so that it can give guidance, illumination, and a sense of security to countless generations. With Christ, He took the sin of the world to become that twisted metallic thing, that discarded punishment for our sins, only to be raised in glory and to give light to us for all eternity.

Prayers to the 61 year old man who was shot tonight in Deer Park. This is unusual for our little community, but I fear that this will become all the more common as the uncomprehending darkness will continue to fall upon our land.

"In the Light" by Charlie Peacock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPjb_amfsE