| A Lion of a God |

So the most beautiful thing happened to me lately: I found the Chronicles of Narnia boxset for $5 at Goodwill. Naturally Em and I purchased the set and I indulged immediately. I had never read any of these seven wonders of the world before, and I am glad for they are a breath of fresh air to me.

I really do believe I could preach through these books; they contain such rich imagery of God. At one point, C.S. Lewis describes the creation of Narnia by means of the Lion's beautiful song spreading forth across the land. However, what struck me the most was the character of Aslan the Lion.

You see, the wording Lewis ascribes to the Lion, that he is both beautiful and terrible, astounds me and I find myself marvelling at the depth of it all. On one hand the God I serve is a beautiful God, and beauty springs forth from His every action: creation, covenant faithfulness, incarnation, suffering, resurrection, and new covenant. This beauty calls to us, His creatures, and beckons ourt hearts to reach out to Him.

On the other hand, all the very same time, the God I serve is terrible, not in a Robert Munsch "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very. Bad Day", but in a manner similar to terrifying, where the root terror points us to the fear of God. This term, 'fear of God' is hard to fathom, for so often we preach a God of love (as in 1 John, that God is love), but on the other hand He is a God who is worthy to be praised; anything less would be a disgrace and a dishonour. There is an innate expectation of fear for He is not simply a royal figure, He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

The dualism, the creative tension of the beautiful and the terrible Lion, it is truly a brilliant depiction of God. Furthermore, consider how a Lion cleans a wound. The textured and fierce tongue of the Lion is like the discipline of God, sometimes rough and uncomfortable, but it is necessary for our growth and healing.