CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
January 4, 2004 return to main page
PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Our congregation Our leaders, military and nation
Our college students various friends, relatives and co-workers
The Stolte’s in Germany David and Leon in the Navy
Bob Stolte Keith’s mom died Wednesday. Our sympathy to him
and his family.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
THE RETURN OF THE KING
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
The above text represents Tolkien’s view of the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. The final part of the trilogy is out and is as exciting as the first two. Rather than going through various scenes in the movie, I would like to point out some lessons we can learn from what is sure to become a classic just like the books. Many have written on this work and I have been reading several books on the subject, such is its influence.
First, there are the humble and weak things, namely the Hobbits. They began oblivious to the evil around, innocent because of their lives in The Shire. Yet because of their friendship, they become part of the Fellowship and they see evil at work. Two of the Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, end up rescuing friends in battle. Frodo, the Ring bearer, and trustworthy Sam remain side by side to the end. Evil chose to ignore these little creatures because they were not known as warriors. The others evil feared and sought to destroy. While Frodo struggles to complete the mission because of the power of the Ring, Sam encourages, fights, and even carries Frodo to the Mountain of Doom. In my mind, Sam is the humblest of the group, not thinking of himself throughout. Though at times things seem hopeless, Sam continued his loyalty to Frodo in the face of overwhelming odds.
If there is anything we need today, it is humility. We often look at power as “the thing.” Who is number one. Who is the fastest. Who is the most famous. In fact, the contrast is seen in the movies and books; the powerful Ring carried not by the king, Aragron, or the swiftest, Legolas the Elf, of the powerful Dwarf Gimli. Rather it is carried by the humble Hobbit. And isn’t that the life shown to us by Jesus and emphasized by Paul? The first become last, the greatest serve, seek what is best for others, forget self, what is important for others not me.
Second, we see the battle between good and evil, a subject much maligned today. People were shocked when two Presidents talked about “the evil empire” and the “axis of evil” in today’s world. How could anyone make such a judgment. Throughout the movies evil is seen. It is seen in the corruption of Gollum, in the armies of Orcs, in the selfishness of kings and wizards. Its temptations are seen in the lust for the Ring by Bolomir though he bravely fights and dies protecting the Fellowship. Frodo is often tempted to use the Ring so that it could be found, and in the end, to keep it. Sam sees Gollum as evil but Frodo sees something good in him that could be redeemed.
Our politically correct, multicultural society fears calling evil evil and good good. Rather evil is called good and good evil like in Isaiah’s day (see chapter 5). Homosexuality is an alternative lifestyle rather than sin. Bible believing people are extremists and dangerous. Evil leads to hatred as seen in the trilogy. There was a recent earthquake in Iran. Israel offered to send rescue teams to aid in searching for victims. Iran refused because the Jews are the enemy that must be destroyed. Both Daniel Lapin and Dennis Prager commended on this and the religious influences behind this attitude and the attitude of Israel and the USA. All have sinned and we need a Savior (see Romans 3:23). Many refuse to believe this choosing to be self-sufficient. Tolkien wrote when first Nazism and then Communism were dominant and one cannot help but think that it influenced him in some way in writing. Today it is terrorism especially seen in Islam. Once again it is good verses evil. Courage and sacrifice are seen in the movies and are needed today. Hope, even when it looks really bad, is needed. And we have hope (read Revelation). God still reigns and He will stand with us and deliver us at His choosing.
Finally, there is the lesson of friendship or fellowship. Tolkien wrote of the Fellowship being broken at the death of Bolomir. There is more to the story. The friendships developed in the story remain to the end. During times of quiet or war, they stood by each other. Now I might be a silly optimist, but I believe that friendship, whether together or apart, is valuable to our survival. For the church, fellowship is the life of the church. The greatest weakness of the church today is to emphasize form over substance. If we do the right things in the right way then we are okay before God. What is needed is the attitude that we are family, in this battle together, and that we need each other even when we disagree. Of course, this goes back to humility, not getting my way, but seeking what is best for others. The church isn’t an institution, it is a family with God as our Father, Jesus as our brother, filled with the Holy Spirit, in communion with each other, standing together, bearing one another along. All of this is seen in the trilogy.
We hated to see the movie end. Yet in a way it doesn’t. Heaven is alluded to in the movie. In reality, the story continues. We do not know how our story will turn out. We pray and hope for our Fellowship to remain strong and at our side. We will face days of darkness and disappointment. Hope might become a “fool’s hope” but hope nonetheless. However, we have a better hope, a confident expectation because we know that God rules and in the end He will be victorious.
George B. Mearns