December 25th Devotional
John 1:1-4
On this day in the year 3018, the fellowship departs from the Elven safehold, Rivendell. Their goal is to march to Mordor to destroy the ring of power. The ring bearer was one of the most unlikely characters in all of literature, a simple hobbit named Frodo Baggins. Hobbits were small, simple folk. They lived far away from the cares of the world. They enjoyed farming, ale, and green pastures. There wasn’t much adventure in the Shire, except for the occasional run-in with a dragon with some rag-tag dwarves, and an eccentric old wizard. Frodo inherited the ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins who stole the ‘precious’ from Gollum while hiding in the murky waters from goblins. Bilbo disappeared seventeen years earlier, entrusting the ring to Frodo. Frodo departed from the shire once it was confirmed that he was in possession of Sauron’s desired missing possession. Frodo leaves the shire in September and he could have never envisioned the great adventure and danger that lay before him. In the next few weeks, he and his companions would be nearly captured by Nazgul, raced through the Old Forest, visited Tom Bombadil (the mightiest character in Middle Earth), guarded by Aragorn the promised King in Bree, wounded by the Witch-King on Weathertop, and barely made it across the Ford of Bruinen alive. Frodo, along with the other Hobbits stay at the safety of Rivendell for three months while other leaders of Middle Earth convene to discuss the great peril of their time, the ring. The assembly debates over what the best course of action should be taken with the ring. The debate turns to an argument as dwarves, men, and elves cannot come to an agreement. Hope seemed to dim, dread encompassed each heart, that is until a tiny voice of a Hobbit declares, “I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way.” The smallest, weakest, and the frailest member does the bravest and most courageous of things. He puts himself in harm’s way to save Middle Earth.
Frodo and the fellowship trade security for peril, all for the mission of destroying the ring. In a much grander scale, Jesus does the same thing for us. He also leaves the safety of heaven to come to this world. John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The picture is that Jesus, who is the Word in the passage, leaves glory to come down to earth. He comes in the most unlikely fashion too. He doesn’t come in power and authority, instead, He comes enfleshed as a tiny baby. He comes weak, frail, and needy. He seems to be the most unlikely hero and rescuer ever! Few would have thought that the swaddled baby in a manger on the backside of Bethlehem would be the promised one of God. Why did Jesus come though? The answer is similar to Frodo’s, Frodo volunteered to destroy the ring of power. Jesus came not to destroy the ring of power, but He came to destroy that which has power over us, sin. Sin had far too long laid its chains on humanity. For far too long its long dark shadow destroyed mankind. Christ came to break those chains, to defeat sin, and to render it powerless. Not only did Christ come to destroy our sin, but He also came to destroy Satan and death. Hebrews 2:14 says “and through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.” Christ sacrificially and lovingly gave Himself to a sinner’s death, though perfect, to ransom our lost souls. Think not only of a manger this Christmas but a cross. Think not only of His birth but also His death. Think not of the song of angels to shepherds, but the songs of the saints who worship Him who conquered death!
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