Lord of the Rings-Fellowship (Spiritual Gifts)

(New Line Home Cinema, 2001)
Main Point: As Christians, we are each given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the will of God.

The Movie Clip: Leaving Lorien

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring was the first movie in a major motion picture trilogy based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. It brought to the silver screen the story we all loved as kids. Frodo Baggins inherits a very special ring from his uncle and then discovers its world-changing power. He learns that his life, and the life of all of Middle Earth, hinges on him destroying the ring.

Helping Frodo in his quest to destroy the One Ring is three of his fellow hobbits, a wizard, a ranger, a fighter, an elf, and a dwarf. Together they set out for the shadow lands of evil Mordor bent on destroying the ring before it destroys all of them.

The film is rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images… like Orcs!

IMPORTANT NOTE: For this clip, you MUST have the special extended edition of the DVD! This scene is not on the VHS copy.

Introducing the Video Clip:
One of my favorite movies is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I like it because it pits the quintessential little guy, Frodo, against the most evil, vile, and powerful force known to Middle Earth, Sauron. We’ve all seen the film, but let me draw your attention to a special scene where Frodo and his companions are leaving the Woods of Lorien. As they depart, the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel, and the other elves give each of the heroes a special gift to help them on their journey. Check out the gifts they receive, and how they respond.

Scene script:

BEGIN CLIP AT 1 hour 1 minute and 55 seconds (on DISC TWO in Chapter 41).

Elf: Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes.

Legolas: (looking in his knapsack as they pack the boats for the journey) Lembas. Elvish waybread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man.

Merry: How many did you eat?

Pippin: Four. (he then burps)

Elf: Every league you travel south, the danger will increase. Mordor Orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. Nor will you find safety on the western bank. Strange creatures bearing the mark of the White Hand have been seen on our borders. Seldom do Orcs journey in the open under the sun, yet these have done so. (He then gives Aragorn a dagger.) You are being tracked. By river you have the chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros.

(The scene then shifts to the fellowship departing Lorien. Viewers are shown what each of the brave members received as gifts to help them in their journey.)

Galadriel: My gift to you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim. Worthy of the skill of our woodland kin. (Two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, each receive a dagger.) These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war. Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage. And for you Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope made of hithlain.

Sam: Thank you, my lady. (Looking around at what his buddies got…) Have you run out of those nice, shinny daggers?

Galadriel: And what gift would a dwarf ask of the Elves?

Gimli: Nothing. Except to look upon the lady of the Galadhrim one last time for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth. Actually, there was one thing. No, no, I couldn’t. It’s quite impossible. Stupid to ask.

Galadriel: (To Aragorn) I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear. (To Frodo) Farewell Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Earändil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out.

Gimli: I have taken my worst wound at this parting having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me.

Legolas: What was her gift?

Gimli: I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three.

END CLIP AT 1 hour 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

Transitional Statement:
Did you notice the gifts that each of the companions received? Most of them received a cloak, several of them received a special dagger, they all received food, and a couple of them received exotic gifts like light or a lock of hair. This scene paints a similar picture of how the Holy Spirit gives us gifts to accomplish the will of God. Like some of the heroes in this clip, some of us receive the same kind of gift; or like the other heroes, we may receive very different kinds of gifts. Our task is to use whatever gift we are given by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we begin, let’s each take a moment to share our name and our favorite character from the movie.
2. ASK A FEW: What do you think was the coolest gift that was given to the companions?
3. ASK A FEW: Which of the gifts do you think would be the most helpful to the companions?
4. ASK A FEW: What were some of the companions’ reactions to their gifts?
5. ASK A FEW: Did some of the gifts seem more important or better than others? If so, which ones?
6. ASK A FEW: What would your reaction have been if you wouldn’t have received the gift of your choice?

Say:
You may not know it, but the Holy Spirit gives each Christian spiritual gifts to accomplish the will of God in their lives. Unfortunately, these “spiritual gifts” have been the source of great confusion and argument over the years. Let’s take a look at an important passage on the subject so we will not be confused on the subject.

Read the following passage:


1 Corinthians 12:4-20 (NIV)
4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.



7. ASK SOMEONE: According to this passage, how many gifts are there, and how many Spirits are there?
8. ASK SOMEONE: What were some of the gifts mentioned in this passage?
9. ASK A FEW: Several times in this passage, the Apostle Paul harped that there was only one Spirit, or one Lord, or one God, even though many different kinds of gifts exist. Why do you think he considered this fact important enough to repeat so many times?
10. ASK A FEW: Go back to the clip we just saw. When Sam received the Elven rope, he asked Galadriel for a dagger instead. In other words, he wanted a different gift than the one he received. Do you think there are Christians who feel the same way about the gifts they have been given? Explain.
11. ASK SOMEONE: In the clip, every single one of the heroes received at least one gift, and most received several gifts. According to this passage, how many Christians receive a gift from the Holy Spirit? (Leaders – We know that every believer in Jesus Christ is given a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit because here Paul says “each one” in verse 7.)

12. ASK A FEW: In this passage, Paul describes the church as a body, saying it has many different parts. Are any of the parts more important than another? Why is that?
13. ASK A FEW: What gift(s) do you think the Holy Spirit has given to you? Or, put another way, what part of the body are you?
14. ASK A FEW: Remember, the heroes were given gifts for a reason, and that was to help them accomplish their mission. Knowing that our mission as Christians is to accomplish God’s will, very specifically, how do you use your spiritual gift to accomplish His will?
15. ASK A FEW: What happens when one part of the body ceases to function, or what happens when one of us fails to use our gifts from the Holy Spirit?
16. ASK A FEW: How can you use your gifts from the Holy Spirit to serve God this coming week and this coming month?

Wrap Up:
Tonight we got a chance to watch a cool scene from a great movie. In it, our heroes received very special gifts from the Elves that would help them save Middle Earth.

OK. None of us are trying to save Middle Earth… cause it doesn’t exist… but in one very real sense, we are trying to save the world. We are part of the church – the body, as Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 12. Our job, our mission from God, is to help save people from sin and death and hell. Last time I checked… that was a HUGE job!!

But, we are not in this alone. Not only do we have God with us, He has also given us certain gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like the gifts in the film, our gifts help us accomplish a mission… God’s will. The cool thing is that God has personally arranged us and the gifts He has given us. He has made sure that we have everything we need to accomplish His will on Earth. Somebody here is the hands of our “body.” Somebody here is the eye, and somebody here is the brain. And yes, somebody here is the spleen for our body, too!

Guys, we are all important. Every single believer in Jesus Christ has been given at least one gift. Most of us have several gifts that have been given to us, and every one of them should be used by us to accomplish God’s will. If we don’t use our gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to us, God’s will may not be accomplished the way He desires. That means hurting people will be left out. That may mean that hungry people will be left empty. That could mean that lost people never hear about the love of Jesus that can save them.

Bottom line, we must ALL use our gifts to serve God right here and right now. In your small groups, you talked about ways you were going to do that this week and the rest of this month. God wants to use the gifts He has given you. In fact, He’s counting on you. Let’s make sure to use the gifts He has given us so that we can be the body He gave His life for.

Close in Prayer