Neverland

In J.M. Barrie’s most popular work, Peter Pan (both the stage play and the novel Peter and Wendy), audiences and readers are taken to the magical land called Neverland. Neverland is a fictional place that represents everything great about childhood. It’s imaginative play and adventure and mermaids and pirates. One of the themes throughout Barrie’s work is the idea of growing up and the responsibilities that come with that. One of these responsibilities is the fact that there comes a time in everyone’s life when childish things need to be put away. Paul used similar language to illustrate how our knowledge of the mysteries of God are like the knowledge that children have and one day God will come back and make everything complete and perfect.

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)

One element of Neverland is its mysterious power to make boys forget things. The Lost Boys don’t know where they came from or how they got to Neverland and they desperately want a mother. In the story, they want Wendy to stay in Neverland to be their mother, and Wendy realizes that her brothers, John and Michael, have forgotten their mother after only a few days in Neverland. It seems there is so much fun and childish excitement in Neverland that boys get distracted and forget. We can be the same way in this world today. We can get distracted by all this world has to offer that we forget the most important things. Jesus knew this: He knew about humans’ nature to forget, which is why He instructed His followers to remember Him when they ate the bread and drank the wine of the Passover meal.

“‘For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:18-20 ESV, emphasis added)

Don’t let this world be like Neverland. Don’t let the glitter of fame and social media attention draw you away from what’s most important. Don’t let the distractions of the phone or the appeal of money pull you further and further away from family and God. Don’t let the frustrations of this world make you forget everything God has done for you. Neverland makes you forget. Never forget what Jesus has done in your life.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.