Bilbo’s Song – August 10

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144
Judges 13:15-24; Acts 6:1-15; John 4:1-26  

Probably fifteen years ago, I bought J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. While I had friends who read it growing up, I had not. I loved watching director Peter Jackson craft the beloved words from Tolkien’s pages into breath-taking cinematic blockbusters in the 2000s. And still, that big book sat on my shelf. Until last year.

I started trudging through, with Frodo and his buddies, on the epic and perilous journey in which the Ring-bearer ventured on the Quest of Mount Doom – down a dark, narrowing path. I’ll be honest: for me, The Lord of the Rings is a fascinating read – and not a fast one. The words slowly build. The images grow warm in my mind. The care for detail radiates beauty and chaos, much like the world of the Hobbits, elves, dwarfs, and others. And then, Tolkien inserts poetry and song into the midst, changing the pace of interactions among characters – and with the reader.

Protagonist Frodo Baggins and eight others are chosen to form the Company of the Ring to bring goodness and hope as they resist and evade the Nine Riders that are evil. Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s elderly uncle, must stay behind in Rivendell. His days with the powerful Ring are behind him. Bilbo and Frodo spend time in conversation before the Company departs. The elder Baggins breaks off into song:

I sit beside the fire and think

Of all that I have seen,

Of meadow-flowers and butterflies

In summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer

In autumns that there were,

With morning mist and silver sun

And wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think

Of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring

That I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things

That I have never seen:

In every wood in every spring

There is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think

Of people long ago,

And people who will see a world

That I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think

Of times there were before,

I listen for returning feet

And voices at the door.

Bilbo’s quiet song, sung to himself as he looks out the window, is poignant in its reflections upon what is past, the warmth of what is here now, and what is ahead.

As I read Psalm 101 appointed for this morning, I am grateful for the prayerful depth that can come from sharing the stirrings of our hearts through written and sung words, from a people rooted in living with and relying upon God. These verses show faith in the Lord and struggles through life. The psalmist writes: “I will sing of mercy and justice; to O Lord, will I sing praises.” The singer will try to do what is right, though it is God’s guidance that is really needed. There are promises to live in the right ways. There will also be times of destruction and brokenness – and the faithful psalmist proclaims, “I will soon destroy all the wicked in the land, that I may root out all evildoers from the city of the Lord.”

The psalms show us how prayer and song woven together can open us to God’s wisdom. And when shared, others can offer their voices to these prayers of promise and hope – on the dark days and on the brighter ones.

Katherine+

Questions for Self-Reflection: 

What is a poem or song that you love to recite, sing, or hear?

Where are you in your life’s journey today? In a space of goodbye or departure? Comfort where you are in the middle? Struggle and cloudy skies amid hard realities? New beginnings with welcome and hope?

Daily Challenge: 

Spend time with a psalm or poem or song that brings you peace and joy today. Read the words. Listen to the rhythm. Breathe in and feel the holy inspiration of God. Reflect on what about that piece strikes you. Then, talk to a friend about that work of art. Share why it moves you. As your friend about a work that is meaningful to them.