A Very Lord of the Rings Advent Pt.1
The First Sunday: Hope // The Fellowship of the Ring
We all have our go-to Christmas movies. It’s a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, White Christmas, some variation on A Christmas Carol.1 In our house, Christmas Eve late night gift wrapping is either accompanied by Ben-Hur or The Sound of Music, whichever one we haven’t gotten to yet.
So I’m sure you already have your list, your favorites, the ones that really make it feel like that special time of year. Well, can I add a few to your list?
The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
We all know these are some of the greatest films ever made.2 But you may not have thought how wonderfully suited they are to Advent, when we are all setting out on an interior journey, a journey we’re likely undertaking with our fair share of baggage. Like Frodo3, we can feel physically, spiritually, emotionally weighed down by what we have to carry, what we need to cast into the fire.
When I’m feeling spiritually dry or disillusioned I usually go to a good story, a story that reminds me that “there’s some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” Tolkien’s saga stirs my heart in ways that are silly to even discuss because I’ll simply fall into cliche. But let me just say that when Sam staggers up Mount Doom - “I can’t carry it for you - but I can carry you” - I weep. And I believe. I believe in goodness and hope and friendship. I even start to believe a baby born in a manger could save all the world.
So let me add some stirring Howard Shore scores to your Advent playlists.
I’m proposing an Advent Journey based on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I highly recommend doing this in conjunction with an Advent Wreath. You can use these discussion questions for personal journaling or in a group discussion. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and reflections in the comments here on Substack. I’ll be sending out a new set of meditations and questions for every Sunday of Advent and it will give you time to watch the movie and journal/discuss throughout the week.
If you have the time to read all three books I applaud you, but I made this guide based on the Peter Jackson films. Watching the movies might also make this easier to enjoy alongside family and friends. Not trying to discourage you from an epic LOTR read aloud though!
“Together through the ages of the world we have fought the long defeat.”
“Elves and men are stranded in time, marooned in the temporal wasteland, and exiled from what St. Thomas Aquinas calls their ‘true native land.’”4 We live in what Pope Emeritus Beneditct XVI called ‘the in-between time’ - the shadow lifted, the curtain parted - but not yet free of Time and all it’s tragedies. Advent is a season to remind ourselves we are waiting, but not waiting in vain, but waiting with Hope - Hope Fulfilled in the most beautiful and surprising of ways, a baby in a manger.
Today, Sunday, December 3rd, marks the first Sunday of Advent. We begin our journey into this liturgical season with the first film of the trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring.
WEEK ONE (DEC 3 - 9):
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
The Fellowship starts out with the story of the Ring, a dangerous and beautiful object that has brought destruction throughout the ages of Middle Earth. The Ring, seeming to have a malicious mind of its’ own, destroys the souls of all who touch it, including the brave and heroic Isildor. But then 'something happened which the Ring did not expect’ - it found its way to to a Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins.
The film introduces us to the idyllic Shire, a place that reminds us that “if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”Bilbo is preparing for his elaborate 111st birthday party. The frantic preparations and merry-making (as well as the stress/breakdowns) might be reminiscent of what’s going on in our own homes as we prepare for the Christmas season.
Throughout the film, we see themes of friendship, loyalty, and trust. The four hardy Hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, leave the safety of their homes to go on a quest, a journey that will lead them they know not where.
Think of the Three Wise men following nothing but a star in the sky. Think of the journey humanity had taken before the Incarnation, all the wars and defeats and hopelessness. Think then how unexpected such an Incarnation was - a vulnerable child. Think how the Ring did not expect to find its’ way to a group of Hobbits - and how it was precisely these Hobbits’ humbleness and smallness that was so threatening to the Ring.
Journal / Discussion Questions
The first candle we light on the Advent Wreath is a purple candle sometimes called “The Prophesy Candle” symbolizing Hope. It is lit in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It is lit in anticipation of the Incarnation. Who in the Lord of the Rings plays the part of the Prophet? How does Frodo, in spite of his own fears, continue to journey forward in Hope and Trust?
The Fellowship is all about starting new journeys - how is Advent like a quest? How do Frodo and Sam mirror the journey of the Wise men?
Frodo and Sam have a discussion in the Mines of Moria about the Times they live in - and Frodo says he wishes he wasn’t alive to see such a Time as this. Gandalf replies, “All we have to decide is what to do with the Time that is given us.” How many times have we regretted the age we live in - how can we change our perspective to one like Gandalf’s - reflecting instead on what we can do in “the Time that is given us?”
Galadriel insists Frodo is the only one who can be trusted with the Ring - why? What qualities does Frodo have that make him uniquely able to bear such an immense burden? How can we emulate these qualities as we journey through Advent?
Boromir succumbs to the power of the Ring - how does this mirror our own struggles with ego, selfishness, and pride? Does Boromir find redemption before he dies? How?
Reflect on Gandalf’s sacrifice as he saves the others from the Balrog. How does a spirit of sacrifice help us to understand the real meaning of Advent?
Both Elves and Men are trapped in Time, but in different ways (Men doomed to die, Elves doomed to immortality). How do the themes of Time and Mortality (the two themes Tolkien said were of the utmost importance) affect the characters on their journeys? How can contemplating these themes deepen our experience of this Advent Season? What does it mean for God to have “entered Time?”
We leave our heroes in a precarious position, and with so much already seemingly lost. Gandalf gone to the Balrog, Boromir dead, the Fellowship split apart before it even began. But all is not lost.
Hope. We still have Hope.
See you next week, when we’ll be especially discussing the virtue of faith in the context of The Two Towers.
Cheers x
Katie
What’s the best one?? We all know the worst. Bill Murray in Scrooged. Ooff, that was rough.
No debate.
but perhaps with less of Elijah Wood’s angst.
Joseph Pearce, “Frodo’s Journey”
Katie! I love this so much! Our family also watches LOTR at Christmas. I've also noticed that at those times when I need to reawaken my hope and joy, I find myself turning to the LOTR and finding renewal there. I think it's no coincidence that my two most battered (with love and use) books are the Lord of the Rings and the Bible.
A confession... I've read the books but never watched the movies. Don't stone me. But this is making me think New Year's Day will be perfect for this. Thanks, Katie!