Martin Luther had a heart for Youth group music ministry. He wanted to make great songs relevant to the kids… check it out in his intro to his mate Johann Walters hymnal, the Wittenberg Geistliche Gesangbuchlein.

‘Therefore, I too, with the help of others, have brought together some sacred songs in order to make a good beginning and to give an incentive to those who can better carry on the Gospel and bring it to the people… And these songs were arranged in four parts for no other reason than I wanted to attract youth (who should be trained in music and other fine arts) away from love songs and carnal pieces and to give them something wholesome to learn instead… It is unfortunate that everyone else forgets to teach and train the poor young people; we must not be responsible for this too.’

I find Youth group music ministry really hard. In our context it is difficult to practice and get a team of youth and leaders together to do a good job. We generally run our music in a rock band format with a guitarist, bass player and the guitarist usually sings. This is partly because the sound we produce can be heavier and more fluid, but it is also because I’m always pushed for time. Unfortunately, I end up spending lots more time on Night church music than youth.

I think however that these two ministries are inextricably linked. Our night church singing culture has shifted dramatically over the last two years from being stiff and non-expressive to being more vibrant and joyful. This is mainly because of youth group guys coming to night church and shaping the culture to match what they loved about music at youth. This shift showed me how important the youth group is to church ministry. I had a chat with a mate of mine, Tim, about this phenomenon. He saw the same thing happen at his old church. He said that the youth became ‘a dominant minority who were intentional in the way that they shaped night church culture.’

Last year I spoke to the senior youth group about their impact on church. They wanted to see it’s singing culture change from the way it was to the way they saw Senior Youth music (alive). There were three main ways that they helped to change culture and these were the same three ways that stuff changed at Tim’s church.

1) Don’t hang in the ghetto. Too often Youth group guys who come to church choose a group of seats at the back or to the side of church and they all sit there. They don’t mix with other guys and they end up becoming a ghetto. I asked the youth to move away from ghetto mode and to sit at the front and in the middle. The reason being that everyone else can then see them and the way they are singing and it will be infectious.

2) Sing loud, sing proud. For some reason Youth were singing their hearts out at youth group but were shy and timid when it came to church because they felt intimidated by the older guys. This had to change if they were going to have an impact.

3) Get involved in church ministries. We are blessed to have a youth group that is committed to seeing its members hook in to ministry at church. At youth, we have taught the guys to be passionate about having a life of ministry. We have youth group kids involved in teaching Sunday School, sound, music and the ministry of looking out for those younger than them at youth group. It was through the kids being involved in music ministry and being up the front that helped to shape the culture the most.

Youth group music ministry is strategic because the kids who are singing there may well shape the culture of church for the next ten years. While the situation our youth is in makes it hard to give youth music a good go, it is well worth investing the time and effort into making youth music the best it can be.

In light of all this we have decided to get a new dude in charge of music at youth. Max Burke will be looking after this side of things at our youth meetings. If you wish to be involved in some way in youth group music ministry you could speak to Max.

Another way to be involved is to stop sitting in an isolated area in morning church. This way we can be a positive impact on the church culture around us. Love Jesus and Rock on.

(Oh yeah, I’m going to spoil the ending in this article. You’ve had long enough…)

I have to admit, I jumped on the Harry bandwagon late. Quite late. I only picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone last year, when my mum lent me a pile of books to read when Anastasia (my daughter) was napping. Prior to that, I had steadfastly refused to read the series, as I found the hype a bit irritating. I figured there was no way they could be as enjoyable as everyone was making out: which, in the words of Albus Dumbledore, “goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words” (1).

The book I read just before I started HP&PS was The Da Vinci Code(2), which I had also refused to read previously because of the absurd amount of hype that came with its publication. Yet, whether you like it or not, the phenomenal following these two books have attracted will mean that they will leave an indelible mark on our society. A whole generation of young people have grown up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and will have taken on board, to some degree, the ideals and themes Rowling has presented them with. So, as a parent, and a nearly-trained teacher, I thought it would be a good idea to bite the bullet, and find out what the hype was about.

So, yes, I’m now a bit of a HP fan, and I lined up at 9:01am on the 21st of July for my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, desperate to find out how it would all end. I was worried I’d be left unsatisfied. I didn’t think JKR would be able to tie up everything nicely, I was sure I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. I’m actually amazed at how well all the loose ends were gathered up. And it was in the gathering of these loose threads that I discovered something quite remarkable…

You probably know that the era we live in is often referred to as post-modern. That categorisation denotes a number of things(3), but one of the key characteristics of a post-modern world is its lack of confidence in truth, and the emergence of relativism. Ever heard expressions like: “there’s no such thing as absolute truth”, “if that’s true for you”, and ideas like “it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere”, and “there are many different paths to God”? These are some pretty typical ideas these days, and they have infiltrated a great deal of society, and have spread to some Christian thinking and theology.

It’s the school of thought I expect in contemporary literature. And so, one of the things I was completely surprised by in The Deathly Hallows was the reoccurring theme of truth, and Harry’s need to seek it out:

“ … ‘Rita Skeeter hinted that Professor Dumbledore was involved in the Dark Arts when he was young.’
‘Don’t believe a word of it!’ said Doge at once. ‘Not a word Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!’
Harry looked into Doge’s earnest, pained face and felt not reassured, but frustrated. Did Doge really think it was that easy, that Harry could simply choose not to believe? Didn’t Doge understand Harry’s need to be sure, to know everything?”(4)

“He told Hermione everything that Muriel had told him. When he had finished, Hermione said, ‘Of course, I can see why that’s upset you Harry -’
‘-I’m not upset,’ he lied, ‘I’d just like to know whether it’s true or -’
‘Harry do you really think you’ll get the truth from a malicious old woman like Muriel or from Rita Skeeter? How can you believe them?’ … ‘How can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?’
He looked away, trying not to betray the resentment he felt. There it was again: choose what to believe. He wanted the truth.”(5)

I find these passages quite intriguing, given the fact that our society has so little regard for absolute truth. These days, people who claim they have truth are labelled ‘arrogant’, ‘intolerant’, ‘bigoted’, and ‘narrow-minded’. Yet here, in one of the most widely read books for generations, we have our protagonist desperately seeking after that which society is so quick to tell us doesn’t exist. And we empathise with him. We follow Harry’s journey and we want that truth too. We need it as much as he does. (And when we read TDH, and especially Chapter 33: ‘The Prince’s Tale’ and everything falls into place, we let out a collective “ohhhh …. ahhhh”, and are very satisfied).

Unfortunately, our world does not share Harry’s insatiable desire for truth. In fact, we have a despicable tendency to hide from truth, instead devising clever philosophies that argue that there is no truth. Consider Romans 1:18-23: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”. (6)

The sinful human mind has tried throughout history to suppress the truth about God. Post-modern relativism is perhaps one of the cleverest suppressions yet devised; claim that there is no truth, and then label anyone who tries to put forth truth an arrogant bigot; yet it is just a new disguise for a very old problem: human sinfulness. Modernists tried to disprove the truth of God through science and reason; post-modernists belittle those foolish enough to believe in the existence of truth.

The claim that there is no truth is absurd. Sire says “the idea that we have no access to reality … is self-referentially incoherent”(7): put simply, to say “there is no truth”, is to make a claim about truth, which cannot be true, because there is (apparently) no truth (these arguments always do my head in). The statement “there is no truth” can not be true, because if it was, it just disproved itself.

Fortunately, knowing the Lord Jesus frees us from these nonsensical arguments. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”(8): The Lord Jesus is truth: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”(9). Listen to the words Jesus speaks to some Jews who followed him: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”(10).

Knowing the truth that is found in the Lord Jesus, the truth of salvation for sinners through his death and resurrection is infinitely more satisfying than knowing that Severus Snape really was good. Knowing that Harry dies a sacrificial death, and is raised to life again (Hmm, I think JKR stole her ideas from somewhere…), pales into insignificance when we know the true Saviour. The Lord Jesus laid down his life for wretched, truth-denying sinners, and was raised to life again that we might also live. Even my delight at knowing Harry and Ginny got married and had three very predictably named children will be nothing, nothing, compared to the eternal joy that awaits us, purchased for us by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.

ENDNOTES

(1) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, p. 243.
(2)  Incidentally, my opinion was justified in the case of The Da Vinci Code. What a lot of rubbish! I found it predictable, lame and really poorly researched. The problem is, I know far too many people who have been taken in by the claims Dan Brown makes. This is exactly why I read it- people believe it’s true, and I couldn’t engage with them until I understood what the books claims were.
(3) My explanations are somewhat generalised and simplified, I know, but I this was necessitated by the fact that I’m writing an article, not a book! For a really good primer on post-modernism, and a bunch of other ways of understanding the world, check out James Sire’s The Universe Next Door. It’s probably on the bookstall at church.
(4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, p. 127.
(5) HPDH, p. 153.
(6) ESV, my italics
(7) The Universe Next Door, p. 188.
(8) John 14:6 ESV, my italics
(9) John 1:14 ESV , my italics
(10) John 8:31-32 ESV, my italics

The Harry Potter Issue

Click here to download simple format (viewable on screen)

Click here to download fancy booklet (not for the faint hearted)

Click here to view and discuss articles online – more will be added over the next week

Guest Authors include: Graeme Goldsworthy, Rowena Miers, Daniel Godden

+ New j-walk team writer: Michelle Watt

It’s been a long time since I last wrote about India and all the crazy people I came across there. That was way back in the second J-Walk. I promised then, and I mean to make good on it now, that I would write about poverty in India.

India is a country of paradoxes. As a nation it is upwardly mobile. It currently has the highest population in the world. Public works like train systems and airports leave Australia far behind in terms of technology and accessibility.

All this said India has the lowest minimum wage on earth. A majority of the population does not have running water within their houses and the infant mortality rate is soaring. As well as this there are certain practices in India that keep the problem going.

Firstly, Indians love expensive things. While most Indians live in sub-standard housing they all have mobile phones. An Indian man is much more likely to spend his money on expensive shoes or jeans rather than saving it and putting it towards something more worthwhile.

The problem with this is that rather than saving their money and putting it away to gain interest or investing it for the future, Indians love to spend. I became friends with a family in Bangalore made up of a Grandmother, a Dad, a Mum, two young Kids, and a household servant, all living in a two bedroom flat. However, they also owned three tvs, all with digital set top boxes, and two dvd players as well as a computer, a fancy car, and a motorbike.

It is easy to judge this kind of living as unwise or consumerist, but my generation in Australia does exactly the same thing. We all have expensive mobile phones, and mp3 players but we haven’t even moved out of home yet. Kids are getting credit cards earlier and earlier. We spend hundreds of dollars on music and dvds. What a waste!

God has given us his resources so that we can grow his kingdom. We blow it all on trinkets and shiny things. It would not surprise me if in the near future no one can buy houses anymore because they all have massive phone bills and car repayments. We live outside our means. As a school student you may only earn $200 per week. Yet you frequently spend a quarter or more of your weekly wage on clothes or shoes. Think about your spending. Is there a way that you can be a better steward of the money God has given you?

Secondly, there are social practices and religious obligations in place that mean people stay poor. The predominant religion in India is Hinduism. Hinduism teaches that people are not equal but rather they belong in different ‘castes’. A caste is your social position. It is fixed. So those who belong to the lowest castes are never expected to move beyond their caste. A rich Indian will rarely give money to a poor Indian because that is where they belong.

This caste system means that the rich in India do not take responsibility for the poor in their own country. This has been the case for thousands of years. India is full of massive palaces, temples and mansions that were built by poor Indians for rich Indians.

This also is similar to many in Australia. While we don’t formalize our feelings into something called ‘the caste system’, we often don’t take responsibility for the poor in our society because we see their poverty as something they have brought upon themselves.

It would be interesting to see the difference between money that Australians send overseas to help the poor in other nations compared to what individuals give to help the poor in our own backyard. So often we gasp when we see the child starving on our TV screens but we avoid the drunken beggar in the streets of Gosford. These people are part of our country, our society, our community. We need to be meeting their needs.

But why? All this talk about India and Australia and poverty is nice because we feel something should be done… but is that it? Is that the only reason we help the poor – because it feels right?
No. I think there is much more to it then that. We should be caring for the poor firstly because God tells us to. Particularly in our own church. In Nehemiah 5 we see God’s people ripping each other off. The rich Israelites are forcing the poor into paying tax and Nehemiah calls the whole country to account because of this. God’s people are to be responsible for caring for the poor not making their lot worse! In James we also read: ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ (James 1:27)

In Deuteronomy 15:11 we read:
‘There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.’

Here it is a command for God’s people to be generous to the poor even though they will always be with us. Caring for the poor is not just something that some Christians are to do. All Christians should be compassionate. It is a command. But it’s more than that as well. It is also a response.

God is a compassionate God. The fact that he puts in place laws so that the poor will be cared for show that his heart is with the poor. God sees injustice and he feels the pain of those who hurt through poverty. Jesus, when he came to Earth, spent his time with those who were poor. You can see his compassion for the needy and the sick. You read about his care for widows and those with disabilities. Jesus was a compassionate person. But more than that. Jesus came to show compassion not just to those people but to people who were lost. People who were poor in spirit. People who had no hope. Jesus died in our place when we were at rock bottom. This is what God is on about in history. Showing compassion to the needy – us. How can we see God’s compassion and feel nothing for those who are poor around us. When we see Jesus attitude in Philippians 2, we should be modeling ourselves on that. Humble, generous, giving, compassionate. If you don’t feel compassion then you need to pray and work hard at it.

As a youth group we need to think of ways that we can be expressing our compassion. I think that there are lots of areas where this can happen. Perhaps your G-team could sponsor a child from India. Perhaps we could sponsor a less fortunate Youth group overseas. Perhaps it can be as simple as offering a lift to those who are not fortunate enough to have a car to get to youth group. Perhaps it is caring for those who are poor in social skills that you come across.

Remember Jesus and be compassionate.

Does the spiritual world exist?

For a long time as a young Christian I had questions about whether there was a spiritual world out there that people talked about. I’d never seen any evidence of this spiritual world (or so I thought) and so I had great suspicion of those who said they had. To deal with the questions I had about the existence of the spiritual world I turned to at what God said about this spiritual world in the bible.

In the bible God makes it quite clear that there are spirits that work within the physical world and which at time interact with the experiences of humans. Some examples of this occur in the context of Jesus’ ministry where he had quite a lot to do with healing people who were possessed by evil spirits (see Matthew 4:24, 8:25, 12:22, 17:15-18).

Other parts of the bible also speak specifically about the spiritual world and people interactions with elements of it. Some stories include the magicians of Pharaoh who tried to mimic the wonders that God performed through Aaron (Exodus 8), the visit King Saul makes to the “witch” (2 Chronicles 33:1-8), and the story of Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9-25).

Summary: The spiritual world is a very real thing.

How should we respond to the spiritual world?

In both the old and new testaments God’s people are warned to steer clear of spirits, as spirits can be in opposition to God. 1 John 4:1 shows this: “dear friends do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world”. Later in the New Testament the struggles of the early church against the destruction of the spiritual worlds are clearly seen where 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “the spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”.

Both the Old and New Testaments outline that fraternising with forces in the spiritual worlds that oppose God is a sin where in Galations 5:20-2 we are told “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

Just like any other sin, fraternising with forces in the spiritual worlds that oppose God has as its motivation the rejection of God’s rule where the individual seeks their own good at the cost of others and in rebellion to God. In appealing to forces other then God is to break the first commandment “you shall have no other God;s before me” (Exoduc 20:3) by placing trust in another force when you should be placing your trust in God. God says to have nothing to do with forces of the spiritual world that oppose God “what fellowship can light have with darkness, what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). God tells us to “flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14) just as we are to flee from all sin.

Summary: As believers we are to be very careful and steer well away from forces in the spiritual world that oppose God. Fraternising with forces that oppose God is sin. God tells us to flee from these things as we would flee from sin.

What exactly are the spiritual world that God in the bible tells his people to keep away from?

There is some dispute about what these forces are that we are told to steer clear of. Deuteronomy 8:9-13 is the most explicit passage in the bible that talks about this where God says:

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God.”

From this passage it is clear that the main things that God tells his people to keep away from are actions relating to trying to tell the future and those that consult with spirits or the dead. Based on this definition, the magic God warns his people against is magic associated with abnormal spiritual activities and not the medieval magic traditions of witches with pointed hats and flying broom sticks, fairy tales or folk law.

While these common views of magic are not necessarily the things God is talking explicitly about in Deuteronomy 8:9-13 if they are forces (real or imagined) that distract people from serving God Christian’s should have nothing to do with them where 1 Timothy 4:7 says “have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly”.

Summary: The forces of spiritual world that God tells us to have nothing to do with includes: future telling, consulting with spirits consulting with the dead. In addition to these things we should also have nothing to do with any other forces (real or imagined) that may district us from serving God.

How should we respond to those who fraternise with spiritual forces that are opposed to God?

As Christians who know what it means to be saved by God’s grace, it is only natural that we should want to see others saved and come into a relationship with God. People who are involved in witchcraft or other spiritual forces that oppose God along with all other non-Christians need to hear the word of God in order that they might be saved. In responding to these people we ought to have courage and share with them what it means to be a Christian. “How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14).

…although you would be forgiven for being a little confused.

A big warning here- if you haven’t yet read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and you care about what happens, don’t read any further. In fact, you probably shouldn’t have read the title of this article but oh well, can’t help that now. If this is you by the way, it really is time to lift your game and just read it, we’re waaaay past the time where sensitivity is necessary and if I meet you in person from now on- I’m so spilling all.
If you haven’t read any of the books, then you may find this article hard to read. I haven’t allowed space to explain particulars or plot lines of the potterverse.

It was always going to be the case, prophesised beforehand. He lived a life of immense expectation. He hung out with the outcasts of society and displayed compassion and love for them. He was the hated enemy of evil, which he overcame by willingly facing death. In doing this he defeated the evil one and gave those he loved protection from this evil. He then re-appeared and was recognised as the saviour of the world.

Jesus?… or Harry Potter?

Well both obviously (you would have had this figured from the start I hope). There is little doubt, I think, that Harry Potter draws massively on Jesus. Google “Jesus and Harry Potter” and you will find countless articles discussing the many ways Harry is similar to Jesus- many that go way too far. I want to pick out some key ones, but let me also point out that there are some big differences between the two as well. The paragraph above this one was surprisingly difficult to write because I had to be quite vague with some idea’s in order for them to apply to both Jesus and Harry.

As far as the internet can be trusted (it always seems that this level of trust goes down as someone’s age goes up- like a see-saw really), it seems that J K Rowling has pronounced herself a Christian! Which is great news really, and particularly believable given the events of her most recent book. So in great faith that this is true, following are some of the similarities and parallels between Harry Potter and Jesus that I believe Rowling deliberately intended:

1. They were both chosen and prophesied about.
Since the first book, Harry was called “the chosen one” or “the boy who lived”.  He was the salvation that the wizard community was waiting for. Even more so, we find out in the fifth book that there was a prophecy regarding Harry and his triumph over Voldemort which is fulfilled in the last book.

Since forever, God’s plan was for Jesus to come to earth. He is the salvation that mankind had been waiting for. For references of the many prophecies about Jesus and how he fulfils them, see the entire bible.

2. They both willingly faced death in order to save the world.
Many may argue that Harry was not trying to save the world, only his close friends, whereas Jesus died for all (2 Cor 5:14-17). But I think if you look over the entire series of Harry Potter, it is clear that Harry has always displayed a strong tendency to risk his life to save just about anyone. To name a few instances over the series, Harry goes into the Chamber to save Ginny, stays at the bottom of the lake for longer than necessary to save Fleurs sister, goes out of his way to free Buckbeak, and risks cursed fire to save his long-time enemy Draco. Hermione even hesitantly suggests to Harry at one stage that he has a “saving-people thing”.
And so when he willingly walks into the forest, allowing Voldemort  to kill him (and in turn killing Voldemort, removing him from the entire world), Harry is showing a similar level of concern and self sacrifice as Jesus for the benefit of the world.

3. Both re-appeared after their death experience
Jesus returned three days after his death and appeared to many so that we could know of his victory over death and sin(Rom 8:8-10). Harry chose to return from his near-death so that he could finish off Voldemort (representation of death, sin and Satan).
That’s about as far as this parallel goes, although I mention it because I think in many ways it’s the biggest indication that Rowling intended Harry to be a “Jesus figure”. It completes the cycle that lifts Harry from being a common sacrifice character that fill many books and movies, to being a “whisper of Christ” in a similar manner to CS Lewis’ Aslan. There are hints quite early on in the series that Harry would fulfil this role. From the first book, Harry’s wand has been made from Holly (apparently derived from Holy) wood and a Phoenix feather (a mythical bird known for its ability to resurrect itself). Holy resurrection… sound familiar?

Apart from the above three, there are numerous parallels, symbols and links which could be further drawn between Harry and Jesus. They may not all be intentional and there is certainly a danger in looking to hard to find things that aren’t there, but the following are a few for interests sake:

• Harry fighting against the Ministry of Magic/ Jesus opposing the Pharisees and teachers of the law
• It had to be Jesus who died (fully man and fully God) in order to accomplish everything on the cross/ It had to be Harry to die because he had some of Voldemort inside of him.
• Jesus was betrayed by Judas just before he faced death/ Harry felt betrayed by Dumbledore just before his death (stretching things here)
• God as Jesus’ source of authority/ Dumbledore as Harry’s “God figure”
• Both are recognised as victor’s over death

So what are some of the differences between Jesus and Harry? Well…like their similarities, there are lots:

1. Harry Potter is not perfect
Whilst there is a sense throughout the series that Harry has particularly noble or “good qualities” (remember the mirror or desire/erised? Harry couldn’t see glory and fame like Ron could), Harry falls into some fairly major pitfalls inherent to his age. He becomes at times extremely self involved, moody, rebellious and snaps at his friends unjustifiably many times. He is, in short, not Jesus.
Jesus on the other hand is our perfect, unblemished saviour who “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21)

2. Harry does not ascend to Heaven
This brings up one of the biggest criticism’s some Christians have levelled against the Harry universe- that there is no heaven, no mention of what happens after death, no mention of God. This isn’t completely true. Rowling offer’s a few hints over the series. The mere existence of Ghosts and Nicholas’ explanation that he chose “not to go on” is the earliest reference in the second book. There are also the whispers behind the veil in the ministry where Sirius falls through, which Luna indicates are dead people (Book Five). There are all the pictures/photo’s scattered around everywhere which seem to act independent of their originals, Snape even takes suggestions and advice from Dumbledore’s portrait in Book 7 after Dumbledore had died in book 6. And of course there is the chapter in Hallows named Kings Cross (note the double meaning of the name) where Harry meets Dumbledore again (who is dead) and is in some other realm which is insinuated to be between life and the life after death.
Nonetheless, Harry stays on earth, gets married, raises a family and by all appearances keeps a normal life at the end of the series. This is a far cry from Jesus who has ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God! (Eph 1:20-23)

3.Jesus does far more in his death than Harry
In his sacrifice, Harry defeats one evil wizard for good. Quite an accomplishment, but again, paling in comparison to Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t just defeat one piece of evil, he defeats all evil. He overcomes death and paves the way for all who accept him into heaven. He bore the sin of everyone on his shoulders, taking it from us, making us clean and blameless before God. He shields us from Gods rightful anger and takes that upon himself also.

And so, whilst Harry Potter may be in some ways a reminder of Jesus, in a similar way to Aslan and perhaps even some old testament people (David). He is but a shadow of the real thing.

When I stand before God in judgement, I want Jesus in front of me, not a fictional wizard who’s signature move is Expelliarmous.