'I did the best I could',said Pippin.'You did indeed!'said Gandalph,laughing suddenly;and he came and stood beside Pippin,putting his arm about the Hobbits shoulder,and gazing out of the window.Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own,for the sound of that laugh had been gay and merry.Yet in the wizards face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow;though as he looked more intently he perceived that under all there was a great joy;a fountain of mirth enough to set a Kingdom laughing,were it to break forth!
Hasn't Tolkien captured the essence of the Kindom of God here?
I am always moved by those last few lines of that passage...'a fountain of mirth enough to set a Kingdom laughing.
The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit, says Paul.
You are having some hard times at present,wrote Peter,yet now you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of Glory'
The above passage reminds me also of C S Lewis'book 'Perelandra'. The novel finishes with the central character landing on a planet unaffected by sin. The Adam of that world is a large barrel chested man whose laughter vibrates accross all of creation.
Joy is the ultimate result of Jesus' salvation...' my joy will be in you and your joy will be full!
Most christians are aware of the laughter revival that has broken out in the body of Christ world wide,over the past decade. A manifestation of the joy of the Kingdom.
My version of the Lord of the Rings was printed in 1966.....did Tolkien write prophetically about the outbreak of joy that would happen decades in the future?
It has certainly been a'fountain of mirth' that has set the Kingdom laughing.
Read more articles by Ross Thompson or search for articles on the same topic or others.
