The Rings of Power reminds us to do the light thing

As The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns, Ivan Radford considers the importance of the choices we make.

'Nothing is evil in the beginning.’ Those are the thought-provoking words uttered by Galadriel at the very beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series, which is currently streaming its second season on Amazon Prime Video, is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, expanding the universe of JRR Tolkien’s popular fantasy saga.

Set thousands of years before the events of the movies and novels, it sees a group of heroes working together to fight the rising forces of darkness in Middle-earth. Some of the characters, such as the elf Galadriel, are familiar faces, while others are new additions to the lore.

But whether they’re characters viewers recognise or not, they live by the timeless truth that underpins the moral core of JRR Tolkien’s world: that the path someone’s life takes, and the world they live in, is determined by the choices they make.

It’s a principle that cements the enduring appeal of The Lord of the Rings, because it so closely echoes our own experience: that every stage of our lives involves making a choice.

As Christians, that journey begins with the choice to follow Jesus – we make an active decision to enter into a relationship with him. But our journey doesn’t simply stop there: we continue following Jesus, intentionally seeking to become more Christlike and to deepen our relationship with him with each step.

Every figure we encounter in The Rings of Power is similarly navigating a path filled with choices. ‘You show who you are by what you choose to do,’ reflects Nori at the end of the show’s first season. She muses on the difference between ‘head sense’ and ‘heart sense’.

As disciples, we’re called to love the Lord your God ‘with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30) – to start with our hearts and to let God’s love into our every thought, word and deed. It’s about actively cultivating an ongoing relationship, intentionally living in light instead of darkness.

Galadriel observes at one point that ‘it darkens the heart to call dark things good ... it allows a place for evil to thrive’.

1 John 1:5 and 6 remind us: ‘God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness’ (New Living Translation).

Fantasy stories about light versus darkness have always resonated with people, not only because, on some level, everyone hopes that light will triumph over darkness, but also because living in the light is something powerful and desirable.

As disciples of Jesus, we know that living in hope and faith is not a mere passive state: it is an active response to the darkness in this world. It is grounded in the confidence that ‘the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:5).

By choosing to live in that light, we each reflect God’s hope and love to others. Our choices therefore influence the people around us, encouraging them in their own choices. Together – with every thought, word and deed rooted in God’s light and love – our choices can help shape the world we live in, building God’s Kingdom one step at a time.

Reflect and respond

• Read through 1 John 1:5–10.
• How rooted in light are your everyday choices?
• What steps can you take to reflect God’s light to others this week?