Though evil can be incredibly attractive, perceptions have a tendency to change when we walk into the white witch’s castle.  Sometimes the more we encounter the “Queen of Narnia”  the more clearly we see the ugliness underneath her beauty.

WEEK 2 SYNOPSIS

Edmund follows Lucy into the wardrobe where he enters Narnia. He encounters the “Queen of Narnia” who entices him with food, drink, and the opportunity for glory and power. She offers an invitation to Edmund to visit her home. Lucy appears telling Edmund that the queen is really the “White Witch” and is not the real ruler or Narnia. Lucy and Edmund return home through the wardrobe. Lucy tries to convince her older siblings of the reality of Narnia, but Edmund lies saying it was imaginary.

The children encounter The Professor, the mysterious owner of the house who encourages them to consider Lucy may be telling the truth. Hiding in the wardrobe to avoid punishment for a broken window, all four Pevensies enter Narnia. After discovering Lucy’s friend Mr. Tumnus has been arrested by the “Queen” for being associated with humans, they encounter a talking beaver. Mr. Beaver takes them to his home where he tells them of the history of Narnia, and it’s true king, Aslan. He informs the kids that they are the ones prophesied to rescue Narnia from the White Witch. Protesting the claim they are heroes, the children stand up to leave Narnia when they realize Edmund has run off.

OPENING ACTIVITY: TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE

Watch the Movie: Start – 50:23 End – 1:16:51

1. Introduce the rules to the group. It’s likely that some have already heard of the game, but also also likely that some have not. After you provide the rules, give everyone a chance to think of their “facts”.
2. One person lists three “facts” about themselves, except one of the “facts” is a lie. Be sure to be random about the order of your “facts”. Also try to recite the facts in the same voice, so you don’t give away the lie. Examples:

#1 “My uncle studies beetles and named one after me.”
#2 “Over seven summers in high school and college, my father and I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail.”
#3 “Two summers ago my family took our vacation to Ohio for a family reunion. There were 237 relatives there.

3. Have a general discussion about the three “facts”. The person who gave the facts stays quiet. This step is optional.
4. The other people guess which one is a lie. Everyone will know how everyone else has voted.
5. The person sets the record straight by saying the lie e.g. #2 was a lie. They may also explain the circumstances for the other two facts. Everyone else may talk about how they were fooled or figured out which was the lie.
6. Scorekeeping – Give one point to the “fact giver” for each person they fooled. Give one point to each other player for correctly finding the lie.
7. The next person goes.

DISCUSSION

1. Why do you think Edmund went to the castle of the White Witch?
2. Sometimes, things that tempt us by looking very appealing don’t turn out that way. How did Edmund in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe get fooled by something that seemed good?
3. Tell of a time you were tempted and went after something you thought would be great, and got fooled or it turned out to be not so great.
   Leader Note: If youth struggle for an answer suggest something they bought, a team they tried out for, a present they asked for, a trip/vacation they went on.
4. Why did Edmund betray his siblings?
5. What happens to us when we ignore our conscience and pursue our own desire for power, privilege, or pleasure? Can you think of an experience in your own life when something you desired led you to overlook the consequences?

Leader’s Note: Edmund was focused on the false promises of the White Witch, which blinded him to the evidence that the witch intended to do harm to his siblings.

Companies spend billions of dollars each year on commercials and other advertisements. Many companies will spend millions of dollars researching young people like yourself to find out what you like and what it will take for them to get you to buy their product.

1. Think about the commercials you see on television. How do advertisers make their products appealing to us?

Leader’s Note: Center the discussion on how advertisers use appeals to our pride, our desire for money and popularity, and our appetite to sell us things.

2. What commercials do you like or appeal to you most?
3. On a scale of 1-10 how much do you think young people are influenced by advertising (not just commercials.)

The Witch represents evil, a devil figure. She makes sin seem appealing.

1. If Satan used wisdom on Eve, and the White Witch used desserts and power to get Edmund, what kind of good things does Satan use to tempt you and other young people to sin?

Throughout the movie today, there were signs of hope in the midst of despair. Hope that Aslan, the God figure was coming to save his people and end the White Witch’s reign of evil.

2. What signs of hope did you see in the movie?

Leader Note: The Fox calling Edmund “your majesty” and being willing to die to serve Aslan. Father Christmas has returned after 100 year absence. The ice melting. The trees blooming.

3. Why do you think Father Christmas (Santa Claus) is in the movie? What does his appearing again after a long absence represent?

Leader Note: The appearance of Father Christmas signifies hope in the story of Narnia. His appearance is the first sign that the Witch’s powers are failing. In Narnia it is now always winter but sometimes Christmas. From a biblical perspective, Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birthday. The fact that Father Christmas appears means that evil is no longer able to suppress joy and hope in Narnia. With the return of Christmas joy and celebration begin to return to Narnia. Father Christmas also gives the three children magical gifts that shift the balance of the battle in favor of the forces of good.

Each of the Children receive a gift from Father Christmas

• Peter receives a sword and a shield which he uses to fight evil.
• Susan receives a bow and arrow and a magical horn that will summon help whenever it is blown.
• Lucy receives a dagger and a magic vial that restores the health of anyone injured.
• Edmund, who was not with his siblings when Father Christmas arrived, received no magical gift.

Read Ephesians 6:10-18

1. How does this scripture compare with the gifts the children receive?
2. Why did Father Christmas give the children these gifts?

Ending Activity:

Give each student a note card and a pen.

Have the students write what tools/weapons/protection God given them to resist evil and stand up for what is right.

Leaders Note: These can be qualities they possess such as confidence in themselves, not being overly concerned about being popular, courage, etc. They can also be external things such as family, a good friend who tells me the truth, a church family, a desire to read the Bible, prayer, etc.

Invite youth to share what they wrote on their card with the group.

BIG GROUP LEADER CLOSING

Give small groups a 5 minute and 2 minute warning to wrap up discussion. Call the group back together as a large group.

Invite prayer requests and invite a youth to pray for the group. (If no one volunteers, you may select someone or pray yourself).

Tell youth you hope to see them back next week!