Matthew 1:21
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
When I was a kid, the advent season meant two things to me: candles and chocolate. The candles were at church, and we lit one for each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each had a different spiritual meaning about the coming of Christ. At home, my brother and I each got a paper calendar with 25 little windows to open, and each one hid a small piece of chocolate behind it. Each piece of chocolate meant we were one day closer to International Day of Presents. I mean Christmas. Yeah, as a kid I was probably more excited about presents than the fact that Jesus came to Earth to save the world, but at least I learned the concept of hope and expectant waiting from it!
I found out on the internet that traditionally the advent season was represented by two colors: purple, which symbolized royalty, and blue, which symbolized hope. This made me think of Lord of the Rings. Hear me out, if you have time (this one’s a long one, and yes, I know; I’m nerdy!).
In the story, Aragorn was the heir to the throne of Gondor, the strongest kingdom in the mythical world of Middle Earth. He had spent his very long life in a faraway land, in the very not-royal profession of ranger. Middle Earth was in grave danger of being overrun by the Dark Lord Sauron, and the people held out hope that the missing heir of Isildur, whoever he was, could defeat him. When he finally goes to Gondor, he doesn’t claim his throne by subduing the people or expecting them to revere him just because of his birthright. Instead, he risks his life to protect the ringbearer (a hobbit, not exactly an impressive person in Middle Earth peoples’ eyes) and to save the people. His coming united them and brought them hope that evil would be vanquished so all the people of Middle Earth, not just the citizens of Gondor, could live in peace. Because of this, all the peoples (including humans, elves, dwarves, and of course, hobbits!) recognized his lordship, and rejoicing, crowned him king of the land. And they lived in peace after that. Well, at least they did after the hobbits returned to the Shire and defeated Saruman, but that’s a topic for another day.
I’ve never really thought of Lord of the Rings as a Christmas story before, but let’s reflect on the parallels. Jesus was (and is!) the Son of God, having lived in the spiritual realm forever, and then was born on earth, grew up in Nazareth, far from the royal city of Jerusalem. He was a carpenter, which was a respectable occupation, but not one a prince would normally have. This being said, His earthly parents were well aware of His destiny: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [which means ‘The Lord Saves’], because he will save his people from their sins.” When He finally started His public ministry, He didn’t do so by declaring Himself the Messiah the Jewish people had been waiting for (according to the prophecies in the Old Testament) and taking his throne by force like they expected. Instead, He went around the land teaching and healing everyday people, even the “lowliest” of them, showing them compassion and love and validating their worth. He preached a message of hope so people would change their hearts in expectation of the true kingdom “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). He acted as an example of a servant leader, washing the feet of His disciples. Then He not only risked His life; He sacrificed it so anyone can be saved! And He rose from the dead, showing that death had been conquered! (Yeah, Christmas doesn’t really mean much without Easter.) His coming brought hope and peace, not just for the people of Israel, but for the whole world. And this hope changed lives. People’s hearts were changed, filled with love and peace. The kingdom of heaven gained new citizens every day. What a revolutionary leader! Definitely not the typical royal coming to power.
The best news is, this is still happening! Advent represents commemorating the coming of Christ to Earth the first time, as well as the hope in His coming again to save the world completely. But it also represents the coming of His light and love into our hearts anytime we will it. The idea of “Peace on Earth” is difficult to believe sometimes, especially when we look at the news around the world. But if we place Jesus on the throne of our own lives, allow His loving sacrifice to vanquish death inside our hearts, and look to Him for hope, He will cause a revolution that brings peace to our hearts. This hope is offered to all: people of every gender, ethnicity, ability, and race (even hobbits! Okay, they’re not real, but if they were, I’m quite sure that the kingdom of heaven would include them, too).
So the next time you see the colors purple and blue together, or read/watch The Lord of the Rings story, think of royalty and hope. Jesus, the Soon and Coming King, brings the hope of Heaven to our hearts. Amen!
P.S. I believe that Tolkien wrote his character of Aragorn as a loosely-based symbol of Christ, kind of like the semi-allegorical Aslan in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. (Yes, the two authors were friends, and yes, Tolkien was a Christian, a devout member of the Catholic church). Lest anyone think I’m brilliant in making this parallel, I was definitely influenced in my thinking of him this way thanks to a book I read many years ago, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware. Feel free to check it out. It’s been years, so I did not necessarily draw the same parallels as the authors did, but the main idea is inspired by them.
About the Author
Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to join the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.