Out of the Shire comes a Rider of Rohan

His name was Meriadoc Brandybuck, but he went by the name of Merry. Now the Brandybucks were hobbits from Buckland of the Shire, near the Brandywine River. Of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring, four were hobbits. Merry was one of them. He was a friend of Pippin, as well as Frodo and Sam. Merry started out the journey as a friend and for the adventure of it all. He ended up a mighty warrior of the Riders of Rohan. How all this comes about is through that awesome fellowship mentioned before. Of the four hobbits Merry had the distinct privilege of being one of the two hobbits captured by Saruman's army of orcs.

As we go down the list of the Twelve Jesus chose to follow Him, we find that some may have done so with less then pure motives. There were at least two zealots among the Twelve, James and Judas Iscariot. James was one of the first to die for Jesus. I always get confused between the James' listed as Jesus' disciples. One was a brother to John, the other was not. Yet, all His disciples seemed to suffer persecution for preaching the Gospel. I believe Foxe's Book of Martyrs lists only John as not being put to death. (Allegedly he was thrown into a pot of boiling oil and survived, so he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos). To me this sounds a lot like Merry. For although he had common beginnings, his communion with the Fellowship and dedication to the quest, brought something out in him that was most uncommon. Although fearful and at times flippant, Merry ended up as one who is valiant. James and John were common fishermen from the poor town of Galilee. Through knowing Jesus, observing His commandments, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, they became valiant. Jesus called them, "Sons of Thunder", which may refer to their overzealous attitude, or prophetic of their unwavering love for God. One of Merry's last feats, before returning to the Shire, was striking a blow to the Nazgul. The feat was, in itself, ineffective, and almost cost Merry his life. It did, however, afford Eowyn the pause needed to strike the deadly blow.

I like Merry because he was serious at times, yet playful at times. He didn't get burdened down, even in the end. What he became was due to those around him, and the task he was chosen to do. So also what we become will be defined by what we are called to do, if we are obedient.