Because of his affliction
   he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
           and their guilt he shall bear.
                     Isaiah 53: 11

Since we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested
in every way, yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Hebrews 4: 14-16

About ten years ago, I became wholly taken with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings,
after having resisted for a long time. I read the entire trilogy in a very short period,
and then saw the movies, which were already on DVD by the time I got around to them! Most people who know me well were surprised at this turn of events, as I am normally
one who shies away from books and movies that contain battle scene upon battle scene; death upon death.

My love of the trilogy is closely related to my love story with Jesus. I very much
connected with Jesus' self-emptying and inclusive love that was a hallmark of
many of the characters in The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf the Gray who descended
to the depths of Middle-Earth, to return as the ever-wise White Wizard; Aragorn,
the ranger who was looked upon with suspicion by many, only to become a humble
King; Frodo, the suffering servant who willingly risked his life for the sake of others;
and Sam, the faithful companion, who would not leave his weakened friend but
chose to carry Frodo to the fires of Mordor. Each of these characters willingly emptied himself. There is such parallel in this Middle Earth tale to Christ's self-emptying love.

May we never be afraid to put on Christ, so that like our friends from Middle Earth,
we, too, can embody self-emptying love. Jesus' love was so great that it enabled him to willingly and obediently take today's journey to the Cross.

For whom and for what might we be willing to take such a journey?

--Joan Dollinger
SSJ Associate

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