In ancient times of Middle Earth, Sauron, the
Dark Lord of Mordor, forged a Ring, filling it with
his own power so that he could rule all others: “One
Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring
to bring them all and in darkness bind them...” Down
through the ages, the ring is lost by Sauron’s forces
and eventually ends up in the hands of Frodo, a humble
hobbit. It falls upon Frodo, and a small fellowship of
companions to traverse middle earth to Mordor and
destroy the ring in the fires where it was forged.
Pursued by ghostly Dark Riders of Mordor and
hunted by hellish hybrid creatures, Strider the
mysterious ranger, guide, and protector of the group
turns out to be Aragorn, the descendant of the ancient
kings of Gondor and rightful heir to the throne.
And in the final movie, Return of the King, the
ring is destroyed, Sauron and his forces are
vanquished, and Aragorn assumes the throne of Gondor.
But the true desire of Aragorn’s heart was never for
power , but to marry Awren, the beautiful immortal
whose love for Aragorn gives us the most memorable
line in the movie: I would rather share one
lifetime with you than face all the ages of this
world alone.
Why are we drawn to such mythical stories?
C. Kilby, former president of Wheaton College,
says that”it is because man is fundamentally mythic.
His real health depends on knowing and living his
mythic nature.” Mythic stories help us see
clearly...with the eyes of the heart.” Before time
began, ,the greatest epic story of all, one of mythic
proportions spanning thousands of years, was in the
heart of our Creator. It is, above all, a love story
that plays out in the midst of a great war that began
when the one-time guardian cherub, later referred to
as the Dragon and Satan, tried to usurp the Most
High. Having failed, he took aim on those closest to
God’s heart, His beloved in Eden and their progeny,
the glorious image-bearers of God. The bond between
Creator and His Beloved is shattered and the glory
departed, replaced by a shroud of spiritual darkness.
Fast forward several
thousand years to the first Christmas when the ancient
prophecy of Isaiah comes to life: “...on those living
in the land of deep darkness, a light has
dawned...For to us a child is born... He will be
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.” The child is the descendant
of the ancient kings in the line of David and the seed
of the woman Who was prophesied to crush the head of
the serpent-god. He is the sacrificial Lamb
of God who endured rejection, betrayal,
torture, and the shame of the cross rather than face
all the ages of this world without His beloved.
C. S. Lewis wrote that “The heart
of Christianity is a myth, which is also a fact...by
becoming fact, it does not cease to be myth: that is
the miracle. Seeing mythically, we discover all that
we love about Aragorn is true of Jesus– not an
emasculated religious Jesus, but the Warrior-King, the
Lord of Angel armies who laid aside his glory and
power to rescue you and me from the dominion of
darkness. He will return as the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah to receive His kingdom:“In my vision at night I
looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man,
coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the
Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was
given authority, glory and sovereign power; all
nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not
pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed”. Daniel 7:13-14
The “dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil,
or Satan” will be chained in the Abyss. God’s
dwelling place will be with His people. “He will
wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3