SG #22 George and LOTR

“God saw all that he made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31)

“Nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so” Lord of the Rings, Council of Elrond

The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) is one of the most popular books of all time. Why is this? One reason that I (and many others) discern is that even in the treachery and violence and evil depicted in Middle Earth there is hope. Not the superficial kind of hope (I hope I win the lottery!), but in a deeper more profound and hidden hope which we all long for and that Paul wrote about” Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11: 1).

In one of his letters Tolkien wrote: “The LOTR is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work: unconsciously so at first and consciously in the revision” (Letters of JRR Tolkien p. 173)

We will explore God’s sovereign (hidden will), the power of friendship, the nature evil and the process of temptation. Even as we grieve at all the brokenness in this world we are reminded of the joy that possible now, as is written “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).At the end my goal is to share the fun of a really, really, really long story.

~George Patterson

Deciding which small group to join? Perhaps George’s one is for you! #22