Are you on the Battlefield or Hiding in the Tall Grass?

“I do not love the sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend…”

–  J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

Are you in the fight or hiding in the tall grass?

A Lenten Mediation: In the Shadow of Mordor

I'm listening to a radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings and am finding it an invitation to Lenten meditation. The evil Lord of the East, Sauron (Satan), attacks the West seeking the one ring of power forged in Mordor. He would be the Lord of the world ruling over all through the power of the ring, a dark power that corrups all who use it.

The world of Middle Earth sounds very much like our own time with darkness coming over all the land. Evil riders in black scour the land doing Sauron's bidding. In many places the land has been scorched. The peoples of Middle Earth live more and more in fear of the growing threat.