Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

• Revelation 21:1-4

“You and I who still enjoy fairy tales have less reason to wish actual childhood back. We have kept its pleasures and added some grown-up ones as well.”

• C. S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady

“’This is the land of Narnia,’ said the Faun, ‘where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea.”

• C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I was never one for fairy tales growing up.  I loved mysteries.  I devoured the Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes.  When I was a young adult, I discovered Lord Peter Wimsey and I became hooked, reading every Lord Peter book and short story that I could find.  But then when I started a concentrated effort in reading, Nero Wolfe became my new favorite.

I never imagined that if I went to a fantasy or SciFi world that I could be caught up in it.  But this year I have read the C. S. Lewis SciFi trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.  I recently watched a video where Brenton Dickieson, of A Pilgrim in Narnia, where he talks about discovering an original manuscript of The Screwtape Letters that identifies the source of the letters as Ransom in the preface, tying the SciFi Trilogy with Screwtape.  I see the connection and it is delightful to make such connections.  And now, I am about halfway through the Narnia series as of the writing of this post.

I agree.  As an adult reading something that is written about a magical land, especially with the allegory undertones that C. S. Lewis uses, you can get more from it as an adult, and I do not know if I missed much in not reading these books at a younger age, although I had read a few of the Narnia series.

Do we need escape?  Do we need utopia, just for a little while?

This year has been a year where I think many of us are wanting escape.  In doing so, finding fantasy or SciFi that also has an allegorical tale weaving into Biblical teaching can be a great escape.  We still need to prepare ourselves to face this world, but in imagining another world that is perfect, utopian, and full of Light…  That puts in a mindset of the future, and our Heavenly reward.

And the only way to get there is through faith and trust in Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.