grbcYOUTH Winter Retreat: Finding the Messiah in Middle Earth

Name: grbcYOUTH Winter Retreat: Finding the Messiah in Middle Earth
Start: 2026-02-13T17:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-14T21:00:00-05:00
Location: Green Ridge Baptist Church

Schedule

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026 at 05:00 pm to Sat, 14 Feb, 2026 at 09:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Green Ridge Baptist Church | Roanoke, VA

Let's take a weekend to get away, and seek the Lord!
How can we grasp the significance of what Jesus Christ did for us? Might literature help us as we seek further understanding of the Christian faith?
Since at least the fourth century, with church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, the threefold office of Christ as prophet, priest, and king has served as one way for Christians to comprehend the gospel narrative of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Another story that has generated much reflection is J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic, The Lord of the Rings. It is well known that Tolkien disliked allegory. Yet he acknowledged that his work is imbued with Christian symbolism and meaning.
Based on the book by Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, We will mine the riches of Tolkien's theological imagination. In the characters of Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn, Ryken hears echoes of the one who is the true prophet, priest, and king. Moreover, he considers what that threefold office means for his service as a college president as well as the calling of all Christians. Guided by both Tolkien and Ryken, students will discover that they can learn much about the one who is the true prophet, priest, and king through Tolkien’s imaginative storytelling.