A seminal moment is a highly influential moment, something which, in its originality and importance, has a deep influence on us. It comes from the Latin word for ‘seed’, and reminds us that from little acorns come great oak trees. Rome wasn’t built in a day, the proverb goes. It takes time to grow the important things in life.
Our family fun days seem ephemeral, to say the least: ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ (I’m full of proverbs today!) But we see each fun day as seminal, in the sense of planting seeds that will, we believe, grow into something sturdy, lasting and beautiful.
The Narnia Epxerience, happening this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church, is another such seed. We are praying that the beauty of the building’s transformation, the simplicity of a story, the wonder of music and film and art, will, for a short time, transport us to another world and remind us of lasting values such as love, valour, faith, sacrifice, the dangers of envy, covetousness and betrayal.
Can these values really change our ordinary, everyday lives? Can such events really be anything more than another few hours of entertainment in the plethora of Christmas activities happening in the Dearne area?
One of the quotes from “The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe” which has stuck with me is “We have nothing if not belief.” Faith – or belief or trust – is at the heart of Christianity. Hebrews 11 talks about faith being essential to please God, ‘the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living’, as the Message version puts it. We pray that The Narnia Experience will be a seed that helps faith to grow in the families from our local community and that that faith will be the fuel to a life grounded in God.
