When Disney partnered with Walden Media to release The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, they went all out when it came to marketing this film towards the faith-based communities that made up the target audience for Narnia. Not only did they send promotional materials to churches and private faith-based academic institutions, but when the Inspired by Album dropped, one of the featured artist to perform live at the release party was a young and up and coming recording artist named Bethany Dillon. She, along with many of the artists on the album considered this not just an entertainment project, but, for them music was a form of ministry. It was one of her first true worship songs, something that became a prominent feature on her later recordings.
In fact, since the release of “hero” Bethany has not only gotten married and had children, but she took he last name of her husband Shane Bernard of Shane & Shane as her own, a rarity in music circles. Even in CCM, female artists might opt to use their maiden name as a stage name as it may have been how they were established prior to getting married, and their name becomes a brand. Others, like Rebecca St. James already went by a stage name so there was little need to change it. Bethany even took time off from music to focus on raising her children, something that feels so sweet and refreshing when the music industry seems to focus on relevance and cranking out new hits.
However, one thing consistent with her, St. James and Nordeman is that for them music is no just about performing, but for them it remains an act of worship, giving their first fruits of your abilities and talents to God as an offering. Nowadays, Bethany is part of the Worship Collective along with her husband, and has cemented a role for herself as one of the leading female worship leaders with her powerful vocals. In fact with the collective she recorded a beautiful and touching acoustic rendition of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Even in her earliest works we saw hints at the direction her career might take as she delivered powerful recordings of two of the most popular worship songs at that time, “Holy is the Lord” and “How Great is our God.” When other young women were singing about relationships, bad break-ups, and youthful indiscretions, she raised her voice to Heaven to praise God’s holiness and sing about His power and majesty.
It seems strange to outsiders to think that there would be a worship song included on a Narnia album. After all, it is at surface level a kid’s fantasy story and as some are fond of pointing out on YouTube or in comments, Aslan’s just “a magical talking cat”. But in writing a song for Aslan, Bethany’s lyrics speak to the incarnation and God coming down in flesh, the Man of Sorrows, bruised for our transgressions, ending our separation from God and freeing us from sin. In fact she captures an image of the Incarnation that feels less like a Sunday School homilie, and closer to Milton’s “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity”. This is an event of singular historical and cosmic importance, an event that is epic and grand, but also intimate and personal as God chose to come to Earth to free His people.
Thus, if Jars of Clay’s “Waiting for the World to Fall” is an advent song for Narnia, then I would argue that Dillon’s “Hero” is a worship song for Narnia. And thus, like a song of anticipation, a song of praise after Aslan’s victory is not only fitting, it’s spiritually appropriate, given the biblical inspirations for the Narnia books.Like Miriam teaching the children of Israel a new song after they crossed through the red sea, David composing new hymns the Lord, musicians like Asaph and the Sons of Korah composing a songs for the dedication of the Temple, since the most ancient times God’s acts inspired his people to sing praise. Thus, it stands to reason in the Land of Narnia that would be the case, and this song fits the bill perfectly as the sort of song the Lucy might have written and taught the Narnians to sing in His Kingdom.
Aslan is not just a Magical Lion. He’s the second person in the Trinity, albeit in Leonian form, and is worthy of praise and adoration in this and every other world. The term” hero” may sound odd now a days to ascribe to Christ, and for that matter Aslan, but look at the other words associated with Him. Savior. Messiah. Redeemer. Healer. Rescuer. Deliverer. These are all words that are synonymous with the word “hero” and even the name’ “Christ” means “Savior” in Greek. Thus, In creating a song of worship for Narnia, Dillon called Aslan by His true name and identity: the Hero we’ve been waiting for Who did what is impossible and freed us and all creation from the wages of Sin.
Retro Narnia Rocks Playlist:
SIDE A
“Hero” -Bethany Dillon
“Holy is the Lord”
SIDE B
“How Great is Our God”
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
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