Hidden Things
Did you know God hides things from us so that we’ll seek them out?
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out,” (Prov 25:2).
And, as believers, it’s our call to seek after God so that the epic realities of the Kingdom of God settle deeply into our hearts and minds.
God has given us His Spirit, the Scriptures, and transforms us throughout our lives so we can SEE ourselves and His world like He does:
“You must be spiritual to see spiritual things. The spiritual man…has an insight into the meaning of everything, though his insight may baffle the man of the world. This is because the former is sharing in God’s wisdom, and ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ Incredible as it may sound, we who are spiritual have the very thoughts of Christ!” (1 Cor 2:15-16 JB Phillips).
Jesus said, “That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again…’They screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.’” (Matthew 13:11-15 MSG).
Stories wake us up!
In stories, we see parts of our hearts that have been locked up in ordinariness.
In stories, we see patterns in our world, veiled in the everyday.
In stories, we see the True Story speaking to us, shouting at our hearts!
When our spiritual eyes are trained by the Holy Spirit, we can see amazing God-designed things inside of stories.
God can even use what the world saw as a “secular story,” like Harry Potter, to wake us up to the realities of the battle of evil and good, dark and light, to the realities of death and eternity, and to the love of friends, family, and a Love that transcends all.
We’ll see, in J.K. Rowling’s worldbuilding, a Christian worldview (with witches?! And wizards?!), that carries deeper truths about death and life, the darkness within us all, and the profound cost of living from a heart filled with Love.
And though witchcraft and magic isn't permitted in scripture, perhaps the metaphor goes deeper...
C.S. Lewis himself said, “Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them.
And you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us for nearly a hundred years” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).
Let’s come expectant for what God reveals to us on Sunday!
Pastor Dave
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Short Clip - John Granger on "Looking for God in Harry Potter" - “The Harry Potter books are laden with Christian imagery and with symbols and with themes with meaning that all come from a Christian background. Rowling has succeeded in smuggling the gospel into people’s hearts.” John Granger, an Orthodox Christian, a teacher of classic literature, and a father of seven children, explores the surprising reasons J. K. Rowling's books are so popular and examines what the author believes are strong Christian themes throughout the Harry Potter books. Granger helps readers understand the classic literary devices used in the Potter books and contends that Rowling is writing in the tradition of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Are they just a good read, or do they nourish the soul as well?
Documentary - A Year in the Life of J.K. Rowling - Check out this free documentary from 2007 about J.K. Rowlings humble origins, as she struggled as a recently divorced single mother in Edinburgh, shares about her early childhood experiences in church, and the fandom that’s followed her—as she finishes the last pages of the final Harry Potter novel - the Deathly Hallows. She even visits her childhood church where she attended and worked as a cleaner, and developed her first strands of Christian faith.
Podcast - Harry Potter: A Christian Masterpiece with John Granger - In this episode of “The Weird Christian Podcast” you’ll meet John Granger, dubbed by Times Magazine in the early 2000’s “The Dean of Harry Potter Scholars,” as he discusses Harry Potter and how it is Christian literature: “We discuss J.K. Rowling and her Christian beliefs. We discuss the symbolism in the books, the names in the books, the alchemy in the books, how the books are structured and the overarching themes of resurrection and so forth.”
Book - The Deathly Hallows Lectures- In The Deathly Hallows Lectures, John Granger, the Hogwarts Professor, reveals the Potter finale's brilliant details, themes, and meanings. Even the most ardent of Harry Potter fans will be surprised by and delighted with the Hogwarts Professor's explanations of the three dimensions of meaning in Deathly Hallows. John Granger has spoken about the meaning and magic of Harry Potter at major universities from coast to coast and as a Keynote Speaker at fan conventions in the United States and Canada. Enjoy these lectures to learn the ins and outs and fascinating depths of Deathly Hallows.