Many still mourn the loss of their children in Nashville Covenant School’s shooting. The manifesto of the shooter has yet to be released so it’s currently unclear why this woman targeted this school specifically, but for the Covenant Presbyterian Church, to which the school belongs, this atrocity isn’t deterring faith.
Rev. Billy Barnes started to address the church’s audience for the first sermon after the shooting. While he alluded to the shooting, his focus was on one fact; that God was still in control.
He explained this by referring specifically to “The Chronicles of Narnia”, specifically “The Magicians Nephew”, which is the first story in the tale’s chronology.
The message was that Jesus has already saved us through His sacrifice. He aptly references the story about the children by describing Aslan’s creation of Narnia with a “creation song” that is heard only by those who are willing to listen, except “Uncle Andrew,” who refused to hear it.
Barnes stated, “In that novel, they talk about Aslan’s creation song when he speaks, which is how Narnia is born.” C.S. Lewis spoke about Uncle Andrew. ”
Barnes continued, quoting Lewis. “He soon heard nothing other than Aslan’s song-roaring. ” “Soon, all he heard was Aslan’s song roaring. But he couldn’t hear any words.
Barnes said to the congregation, “We heard a lion roar.” “And today, you’ll hear that God is in control and that he’s sovereign. ”
Barnes continued with a story about the “Road to Emmaus”, in which Jesus comforted Cleopas and Simon, who were deeply troubled by Jesus’s crucifixion and disappearance from the tomb.
Barnes’ point was that we should be reminded to believe in Christ, despite all the suffering. You only need to have ears and eyes to hear the gospel.
Wider context: the service did not diverge from normal liturgy, only alluding to the shooting where it was relevant to a particular element of worship. Chad Scruggs did not appear. A colleague preached from Luke 24, tying it to the creation of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew: pic.twitter.com/NYDNRdn1fo
— Dope Preacher Clips (@WPCButGoodGuys) April 3, 2023
This sermon is powerful and timely. This is especially true when you lose a valuable possession, such as a child.
The enemy is Christ and is showing us how futile it is to fight against the inevitable. The Kingdom of God will come eventually and those who were killed will be redeemed and those responsible for their murder will be held responsible.
He is your only hope.
Keep your faith.
You can view the entire sermon below.
