Welcome to Lectio For Families. Today is a Hero Day, and so we’re taking a break from our usual pattern to pray a little differently. On Hero Days we pause to celebrate and learn from the life of someone who followed Jesus in a really inspiring way. Today we are thanking God for the extraordinary example of C.S.Lewis – a hero of creativity and learning.

Pause

We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.

Pause

Prayer of Welcome

Creator God, who formed us from dust, breathe in us again. We’re ready for the new things that You want to show us and say to us and even create through us today.

Rejoice

Memory Verse

We REJOICE and celebrate God’s creativity with a few verses from the Psalms.

Reflect

Clive Staples Lewis was born in 1898 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During his life he wrote over 30 books; some were about God and faith and others were stories that he made up. Probably his best known and most loved book is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is part of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ series. Maybe we’ve read these books or seen one of the movies?

In her book about the Narnia series, Natalie Gillespie wrote; ‘Narnia is a world of talking animals, magical potions, and bloody battles. It’s a fantastical place filled with Fauns and Centaurs, an all-powerful Lion, an evil queen, a mighty mouse, and children who become kings and queens… Narnia is also full of secrets, symbols, and hidden clues that tell stories inside the stories’ *

In the imaginary world of Narnia, a great battle is raging between good and evil. And right at the centre, we meet Aslan, the Lion who lays down his life to save others, and ultimately overcomes evil with goodness. Inside this story, C.S. Lewis invites us to see that there is also a battle between good and evil in our world – the real world – and that Jesus has laid down his life to save us all.

Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Which is our favourite character in the Narnia series? Or if we haven’t read or seen the Narnia books, which is our favourite imaginary character from another series?

• PAUSE the audio player now

Ask

ASK Prayers

C.S. Lewis understood that we can use our imaginations to discover more about God, and to help us know God.

Creator God, we ASK You to help us to use our imaginations when we read the Bible, or when we pray, so that we can know You more.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

In book five of the Narnia series, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan says – ‘I am [in your world]. But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.’** C.S. Lewis used the imaginary character, Aslan, to help us know more about what the real person, Jesus, is like.

Lord Jesus, You are here with us. We want to know You better. And we also ASK this for our friends, and for those in our families who don’t yet know You – help them to know You too.

• OPTIONAL: PAUSE the audio player now and pray

Yes

YES Prayer

And now, let’s say YES to God together.

Loving God, thank you for the gifts of creativity and imagination. We say YES to using these gifts to get to know you better, and to help others get to know You too.

Memory Verse

After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:

Closing Prayer

Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.

Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.

Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.

* Natalie Gillespie, Believing in Narnia, A Kids guide to unlocking the secret symbols of faith in CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia (Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2012) p.2