Meditation Monday – March 22, 2021

Eagles were very important In Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. A search on the the internet describes them this way:  “Great Eagles were birds that served as messengers who were sentient, capable of speech and often helped men, wizards, and elves to defeat evil.” I, myself, tend to view Tolkien’s Great Eagles as divine rescuers. During the battle at the black gate in Return of the King, the eagles swoop in to save the day when all seemed lost. When Pippin sights them in the thick of battle, he shouts with much joy and hope, “The Eagles Are Coming!” Every time I watch this movie I wait for that scene and my heart swells with the relief that all is well, help is on the way, and evil will not prevail.

My understanding of eagles as messengers of hope is shaped by these words in Isaiah 40:31: “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall walk and not faint”.  It is pregnant with words of hope that we can cling to when, like Pippen, we despair and all seems lost. How has God “caught you” when you were falling and not flying?  

Prayer: Loving God, hold us close to your heart and minister to us when we despair and fear of losing our way. Amen                         

Sharon Ross, Minister of Spiritual Formation