MethodistChildren, the children’s ministry of the Methodist Church, has written a special sermon inspired by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for churches across the country to be used in engaging the children – and the big kids of the congregation – with the themes brought out in the film.
The Methodist Church has written the service with the hope of encouraging churches to explore the theme gift-giving and receiving that lies at the heart of the novel by C.S. Lewis.The service, which can be accessed in full along with tips can be accessed in full at methodistchildren.org.uk/adults/service.htm, is designed to prompt consideration within congregations of what the world would be like if Christmas never came and of the importance of the gift we are given at Christmas.
Children are also encouraged to consider why Edward took the gifts from the Queen as a prompt to consider the uniqueness of their individual gifts given by God.
“Christmas is a time associated with presents and giving and this service aims to highlight Jesus as the great gift of God for our salvation,” said Doug Swanney, children’s work development officer with the Methodist Church.
“But it’s not just for Christmas; it’s ideal for inclusive worship at any time of the year and the format is so flexible that it can easily be adapted to suit different congregations and styles of worship,” he said.
A deal between the UK churches and Narnia has also been arranged with Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO), one of the UK’s leading publishers of Christian materials, supplying around 20,000 churches across the country.This is a family film that appeals across the board. Obviously a lot of churches are very keen on CS Lewis and his writings and see this as a good chance to maybe communicate something of their message in the context of the film.
Russ Bravo, director of development at CPO
CPO is providing churches with Narnia posters and sermon ideas, as well as DVDs featuring the official trailer of the £62million film, which stars Scottish actress Tilda Swinton as the wicked Queen.
Russ Bravo, director of development at CPO, said the film is probably the biggest opportunity the Church has had for many years, reports The Scotsman.
“We have seen enormous demand. A lot of churches have been wanting to get on board with this,” said Mr Bravo.
