The symbolism of the stone table... and more

I haven't posted much this week — at least, not here at Simply Put. In part, it's because I was preparing for a job competition. Meanwhile, we're nearing the end of an election campaign here in Canada, and I've published a couple of posts on Bill's blog, the Art of the Rant. It looks like there's going to be a change of government, with Stephen Harper's Conservatives replacing Paul Martin's Liberals in office.

Over at Ragged Glory, I've published a follow-up post on the Chronicles of Narnia. I keep musing on the symbolism of the stone table, where the White Witch killed Aslan. More precisely, I wonder about the shattering of the stone table:  what did that symbolize? It symbolizes the end of something; but of what?

Finally, I have a brief update on the Christian Peacemaker Teams hostages in Iraq. (Original post here.) Unfortunately, it isn't much of an update:  there's still no news. Here's an excerpt from today's Globe and Mail:

More than one month after the deadline set by kidnappers of four Christian activists in Iraq, their families and colleagues are still waiting for word about their fate. …

Matt Loney, brother of Canadian James Loney, said the Christmas holidays were "very difficult." Family members exchanged gifts, but "it just felt much more empty."

But despite the agony of waiting, Mr. Loney said his family remains hopeful that the situation will end safely.

"If James and the others come back healthy and unharmed, then we would be prepared to wait as long as it takes for that."

It's hard to be optimistic, but let's hope Mr. Loney's hopes come to fruition.