The Best Died Young (continued…)
Continuing our return to Enchanted City, where Amanda, has sneaked into the court to observe the trial of the King.
Seeing! thought Amanda. If she could see into the King’s mind. Closing her eyes, Amanda aimed her gifts at the great soul of the man standing in disguise before her. A wave of enormous sadness overcame her. Tears began to stream down her cheeks and she was tempted to withdraw her sight. “Nay-nay-nay,” intoned the song of doom. The King’s mind was entering into every dark place in Enchanted City—no, more—taking all the darkness into his very center.
Amanda could see nothing. The dark blindness overwhelmed her, but somehow she realized that her sight labored by the side of her dear King, the one she loved most in all the world.
“My Liege Lord,” she whispered in her heart, and the man in front of her stirred slightly, as though he had heard and recognized her words with his own soul. It was then Amanda realized that nothing could be done, that for now, there was no light in the King, that he had for some reason of his own knowing joined with this deepest and most impenetrable darkness. “
Through him Amanda stared into the shadow of death itself, into the night of all nights that begins and has no ending, and she withdrew, opening her eyes, unable to bear any more the grimacing features of total despair.
It was then she saw them, circling the rim of the court• yard, standing beyond and above and over the Burners and Breakers: gorgeous, brilliant, shining—the Bright Ones! They were translucent, shimmering. As Amanda glanced quickly at the miserable creatures sitting on benches, cold, shivering with fear, hopeless, glad for one wretched moment of reprieve at the expense of the most beautiful man who ever lived, the princess realized that no one else was aware of these creatures of indescribable glory.
Unknowing, they were all surrounded by these exquisite, unseen beings who glistened like raindrops on cobwebs blown by the wind, who turned like gossamer milk pod seeds in the brilliant sunlight, who raised their eyes filled with star glory, and stretched their wings, tip to tip, now gold, now silver, now pure light on light. The Bright Ones bent their graces toward the man in the center of this trial, preventing any interruption of purpose from breaking his intense concentration. Their looks focused on the King in the center, holding off tenderness, staying any loving-kindness lest goodness distract him from the work of breaking the Enchanter’s spell, which held all the city in its grip. They were not helping him; they were only keeping him from being interrupted. Amanda could see that they, too, wept.
The Princess turned her moist and opened eyes to the King. Now she understood that he was deliberately restraining his own power. He was not defeated by the gathering evil oppression in this hold of the fire wizard.
The King was holding himself in, containing command and nobility, silencing his majestic authority, confining his royalty in order to descend by the way of mind and spirit into the center of dark agony, the very secret evil crux of the Enchanter’s domain. He was preparing himself to be the willing victim who would lift the enchantment from the city.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
