I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
John Eldredge begins his book, Epic: The Story God is Telling, with the Tolkien quote. Eldredge continues,
It’s been quite a journey for Frodo and Sam when the little gardener wonders this. Ever since they left home they’ve encountered more wonders and more dangers than they could have possibly imagined. The battle on Weathertop. The flight to the ford. The beauty of Rivendell. The dark mines of Moria, where they lost their beloved Gandalf. Their fellowship has fallen apart; their friends are now far away on another part of the journey. Into the shadow of Mordor they’ve come, two little hobbits and their cooking gear on a journey to save the world.
It’s at this point Sam says, “I wonder what sort of take we’ve fallen into?” Sam could not have asked a better question.
Sam’s question hits the nail on the head! Have you ever wondered that yourself? How in the world did I get to where I am today? Life is a story. Exciting chapters. Adventuresome chapters. There are some chapters filled with sorrow, while others resonate with tragedy. The stories have twists and turns that we simply didn’t see coming. In a sense, we know how the last chapter will end, but we are buffaloed (no disrespect meant to any bisons reading) A Talby the chapters preceding it.
The word “tale” conjures up a particular type of story, doesn’t it? A tale is a story, especially one that is filled with creative twist, turns and embellishments. You can read a tale from a book, or tell a bedtime tale before sleep nestles in. Tales can be true or fictional, but they usually consist of a narrative. The tale has a beginning and an end. A well-told tale is filled with interesting and vivid details. Many tales teach an underlying lesson.
In a way, our stories are similar to the Marvel Universe. The stories of all of our lives have intertwined in some way at one time or another. Some of you are family that I have known forever. Perhaps you are someone I went to high school with. There are others that I taught when I was just out of college and you were in high school. Still others of you have been a part of small groups that I taught in a church. A few of you are colleagues from one line or work or another. Some of you are friends of a friend of a friend. At least one of you is a child of someone I taught in a group years ago. There are a few of you who live on continents other than North America. We share similar characters and circumstances in our own story.
A really good Author can do that with ease.
Do you remember the earlier Marvel movies? We sat in our seats waiting to discover how Marvel mastermind Stan Lee would show up in that particular movie. From the first Iron Man when Lee appeared at a gala event and Tony Stark mistook him for Hugh Hefner, to a general in World War II who thought Captain America “would be much taller,” to the driver of Peter Parker’s school bus who asks, “What’s the matter with you kids? You never seen a spaceship before?” Stan Lee’s fingerprints could be seen in every movie.
We spend a lot of our story peeking over each shoulder, wondering if this is when God will make another cameo.
So in light of the story of life, let’s talk a little bit about your favorite story. It can be a story from when you were growing up – or one that you enjoy right now. Can you share the name of the book and its author, like Tolkien and Lord of the Rings? What is the story about? What intrigues and interests you about the story? What characters do you relate to? What lessons have you learned from the story?