Farther and Further–Our new theme for 2026
Proverbs 3:5-6
As we have been saying throughout this year, the Christian life is a journey which begins when we seek the Lord and continues everyday as we follow Him.
Instructions for the New Year.
#1 Have a clear destination in mind.
In C.S. Lewis’s Narnia grand finale, The Last Battle, one chapter is entitled “Further Up and Further In,” and this phrase is repeated a great many times by various characters:
“Then [Aslan] breathed upon me and took away the trembling from my limbs and caused me to stand upon my feet. And after that, he said not much but that we should meet again, and I must go further up and further in.”
Then they all went forward together, always westward, for that seemed to be the direction Aslan had meant when he cried out “Further up and further in.”
“Don’t stop! Further up and further in,” called Farsight, tilting his flight a little upwards.
“It’s all very well for him,” said Eustace, but Jewel also cried out:
“Don’t stop. Further up and further in! Take it in your stride.”
“Further up and further in,” cried Jewel and instantly they were off again.
“Further up and further in!” roared the Unicorn, and no one held back.
“Welcome, in the Lion’s name. Come further up and further in.” [– Reepicheep]
“The further up and the further in you go, the bigger everything gets. The inside is larger than the outside.” [– Mr Tumnus]
What to bring and what to leave behind.
As we know from traveling through life, destinations demand a good understanding of what we need to take and what we need to leave behind. Every time I travel my first set of decisions involves knowing clearly what I don’t need to include on my list of packed items. If you travel much the priority of traveling light is well understood.
In the original the words farther and further were used to give a better understanding. Farther refers to distance and further refers to depth. This is C, S. Lewis understanding of what it means to grow in the journey following the Lord.
#2 Travel Light
Get rid of the added burdens that will only tend to turn the whole journey into a burden. That is true of physical journeys as well as spiritual ones.
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:2
An encumbrance is a weight that will wear us out and slow us down and an entanglement is what will stumble us and others.
Encumbrances – guilt, shame, a sack of regrets that we hold in our hands and beat against our heads in self-flagellation.
Flagellation in religion, particularly Christianity and Islam, involves self-whipping as a penitential act to share in divine suffering, atone for sins, express deep mourning, and achieve spiritual purification seeking forgiveness and a closer connection to God through physical sacrifice.
Entanglements are repeat sins that keep us bound. This can often be fleshly default modes we return to.
One more common entanglement than realized is a deep anger towards God, because He didn’t do what we wanted. There comes a point where we must trust in His sovereignty over everything.
If we trust Him to deal with our sin and our eternity we should also trust Him with every aspect of life. This is giving up. This is taking up the cross without being angry about it. That doesn’t mean we are healed of the pains but we have purpose in them.
Dress appropriately for the journey.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” Romans 13:14
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, (God has washed us) put on (clothe yourself) a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:12-13
In Greek, the word compassion literally means ‘a deep gut feeling’. I’m sure you all know what that feeling is like, when you see someone in need or a person’s struggles, you are moved in your gut to deep compassion.
Compassion moves Christians to do God’s will on Earth. If it is God’s will to heal the sick, comfort those who are mourning, love the unlovable and take care of the needy, then compassion is first needed to move us into doing these godly actions.
Kindness is another gentle word that can also mean gentleness. A kind person would tend to reach out to others, offering support of some sort—a kind word or a gift of food or money. This act of kindness would be the natural outgrowth of “a heart of compassion”
Humility can also be known as Lowliness. Lowliness is not often seen as a virtue today. We prize assertiveness rather than lowliness. However, as Christians, we are called to emulate Christ, who “existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, (Philippians 2:6-8).
There’s a great C.S Lewis quote: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less,”
Another word for gentleness is meekness. There is no weakness in meekness. Instead it is Strength under control. The assured strength of someone in control of their own actions and uses them so appropriately.
Rash, impulsive decisions are most always not good decisions. When we surrender to God’s will for our life, we can be like Jesus, able to use our strength when necessary, but also as equally ready to restrain it. I like this definition: gentle in relationships but firm in convictions.
Another word for patience is steadfastness. And I love that word, because it speaks to what patience really means, standing firm against adversity without quitting. It means enduring opposition. We often think about patience as gritting our teeth when traffic is bad, but patience truly is resting in the knowledge that God has everything under His control and moving our life in line with His timing. If you have God’s peace, you have His patience.
Bearing with one another.
This is endurance with people’s imperfections that weigh on us. It means having no pockets to store the problems other people want to give us.
Forgiveness
The most important thing here is that we forgive because God forgave us. Think about everything God forgives, all your sin in the past and ll the sin to come. Jesus died and rose and forgives us all for that sin. So we are called to show the same forgiveness to those around us.
What have you noticed about all of these items of clothing?
Well, they are all displayed in the context of relationships.
FARTHER AND FURTHER!!
