More to Say

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
-Jesus of Nazareth

I remember Martin Luther saying that God wrote the Gospel in the Bible, yes, but He also wrote it in the trees, and the sky, and the birds… and I would add that He wrote it in the great stories of all our lives.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. There is so much in it that I hardly know where to start. When I try to put it into words, I stumble and stutter, because there’s more of a swirling and burning of something deep inside than there is language in which to utter it. It’s like the roar of a waterfall, deep calling to deep. The silence, maybe before some great storm on the horizon, or the stillness in the eye of it.

What is it about the story? It’s an epic. There is real heroism. Good versus evil. The crucial roles of the characters in the story. The drama – will it be good, how will it end, what will become of them? The great battles that draw a man taut like an arrow in a bow, and then release him to soar with courage and strength – that pull him into something big and heroic, where he knows his part and lives true to his name. The fellowship and brotherhood, and the joining in with others of like mind and spirit on a quest and adventure of deep mystery and purpose, each giving everything of themselves out of a bond and trust and love. The great evil that lurks and hunts and preys, and the good that ultimately wins, even though all may be hanging on the faith of just one.

In the characters of Legolas and Aragorn, there is so much that I long for. First, I want to be like them. There’s a part in the Fellowship where they are in the caves of Moria running from the Balrog, and Boromir runs down a short staircase that ends in a drop-off, and he’s nearly lost his balance and is close to falling. Legolas runs behind him, and wraps his entire body around Boromir’s, and pulls him back to safety. It’s not a gentle tug; Legolas doesn’t just grab his clothing – he throws himself fiercly onto Boromir, and then pulls him back with all his might. Later when they are jumping over the break in the staircase, Legolas jumps first, then turns to help the others across. He first grabs ahold of Gandalf as he jumps across. When Gimli jumps, he nearly falls, but Legolas grabs ahold of him and pulls him, too, to safety. When Aragorn jumps across holding onto Frodo, Legolas again throws himself around Aragorn and steadies him until he is able to run. Only then does he lead them the rest of the way down the staircase.

I want to live as Aragorn does. His true identity is in his kingship, but the darkness of Fangorn Forest, the battle at Helm’s Deep, the bottomless crevices of Moria and the snares within the deep caves, the hot fires of Mordor, all foreshadow the inner haunting within him and the fierce war against his own identity. Will he come into his own? Will he step into his place as heir and offer his heart for the kingdom of Middle Earth? Even as a tracker, he lives to serve and protect and lead, even though he could live to be served… much like the way Jesus lived, coming as a bondservant. And as king, Aragorn returns to rule and reign over Middle Earth with honor and justice and, after the war to end all wars at Pelennor Fields, with peace. Much like the coming return of our King. Is this not a picture of the real Kingdom, the Greatest Story?

And to that, the greatest of all stories, the one today I am called up into to live in and out of, I tip my hat, I raise my glass, I sing my song. To that King, the King humble enough to shadow Himself into Hollywood pictures, to come so far to make His home here, (right here!) and generous enough to invite us to ride alongside Him in this Battle Between the Worlds, I offer my heart and all of my life.

All I love of Legolas and Aragorn, and all the other great heroes in the stories I cherish, is Jesus - the Heart behind them all.