What The Fellowship of the Ring Teaches Us About Community

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” – Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)

Throughout the epic quest of Lord of the Rings, there is one character that stands out for his valor, steadfastness, loyalty, and determination. Samwise Gamgee, an ordinary hobbit whose life aspiration was tending a garden and having a family, becomes essential to Frodo’s quest to journey into the land of Mordor and destroy the ring. Through every trial, Sam remains by Frodo’s side, willing to risk and lose it all in order to see his friend succeed. What would happen if all of us were so dedicated to our friendships as Sam?

Today we dive into the final part of our April Cultivate series. We’ve talked about three of the four pillars of the Christian faith: the Word, worship, and prayer. But what of community? What makes up a community and why is it so essential to our wellbeing as believers and followers of Jesus?

What Is Community?

Community, at its core, is a group of people who have shared interests and goals. The essence of community is having something in common. Interestingly, when you study the etymology of this word you’ll find that it has two main components: com, meaning together, and munus, meaning duty, service, gift or obligation.

In other words, community goes far beyond a mere group of people gathered because of a common interest. Community is a group of people brought together by shared responsibilities, mutual care, and giving.

True community isn’t only obligatory. Yes, obligation and duty are part of it. But community goes beyond this and enriches the lives of others, serving them and becoming a gift. The goal is that through a shared vision, others would become better because of the community.

How Sam Gamgee Exemplifies the Spirit of Community

Isn’t this what the fellowship of the ring did? They all lended their aid to Frodo, united by one purpose: to destroy the ring and defeat Sauron. But in my opinion, none of them did this as heroically as Sam. Sam dedicated himself to Frodo in service, bound by duty, but going beyond obligation to become a gift and champion. I would argue that without Sam, Frodo would have never been successful in his quest to destroy the ring. Not only did Sam save Frodo time and again, he also carried him the last of the way up Mount Doom when Frodo’s strength gave out.

Sam Gamgee became a champion member in the fellowship of the ring. All the others played their part, heroically bringing about an incredible conclusion to the quest. (Even if Boromir turned traitor, repenting too late.) But across this journey, they became a true community.

What If Church Was More Like Sam?

This makes me wonder: what if we treated our church communities with the same passion as Sam treated his place in the fellowship of the ring? What if, like Sam, we expected nothing in return but were still willing to serve others and become a gift to them, wanting nothing more than to watch them succeed? What if we were Samwise Gamgee to the people in our church?

So many times we expect others to be Sam for us. We are willing to receive, but rarely to give. And yet, Jesus said that the greatest love was that of a friend willing to lay his life down for others (John 15:13).

Many of us belong to a church community but only through duty and obligation. We will go because we have to, we will pray for others out of a sense of obligation, and we will participate because it is what is expected since we are part of the church. A few of us go further, and offer service. After all, if we belong to a community, and we have a duty to fulfill, we will serve and give a piece of ourselves back to our church. But few of us go the last step, selflessly giving until we become a gift to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

And yet, I believe this was Christ’s goal. Not that we would merely offer external service and support to others that would cost us nothing too valuable. He gave His life, and called us to do the same for our communities. In a world of selfish Boromirs, Jesus called us to be Sams.

The Key To Enrich Our Communities

If we were more like Samwise Gamgee in our local churches, community life would be so much richer. If we were Sam, we would serve those in our church without expecting anything in return. If we were Sam, we would go with others through their trials and darkest moments, not to fix them but to walk with them towards victory and see them succeed in their lives and the quest God has given them.

The modern church aches because genuine, personal connections are disappearing. What if each of us took a step to remedy that? Friendship is a gift that is freely given, and a blessing that is received. We cannot force others to give it to us, but we can willingly give it to someone else. Therein lies the key to strong communities.

How Can You Be Sam?

As we close off this series, I want you to take the personal challenge and ask yourself: how can I be a Sam to someone around me today?

My prayer for you is that God would highlight the people to you who will become part of your own “fellowship”. May He give you a heart to serve each and every one of them, not just out of duty, but out of a desire to be a gift to them. May you become a Sam in your local church, willing to strengthen others until they succeed at the tasks God has given them.

And if you are in a season of wishing there was a Sam in your life, I pray that God would surround you with the right people, willing to head into the face of danger alongside you.

“‘It would be the death of you to come with me, Sam,’ said Frodo, ‘and I could not have borne that.’
‘Not as certain as being left behind,’ said Sam.
‘But I am going to Mordor.’
‘I know that well enough, Mr. Frodo. Of course you are. And I’m coming with you.’” — J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Thanks for reading!
Anna

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Photo by Madalyn Cox on Unsplash