#535 – The Deathly Hallows: Chapters 31-36

I finally finished my foray into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The last part of the book was so tremendously exciting that I couldn’t put it down. Once I started reading chapter 25 I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop until the end. These chapters were fantastic and brought a satisfying conclusion to the entire series.

Below are some thoughts from the last six chapters of The Deathly Hallows.

Alone

Once Harry had made his way back to Hogwarts and all of his friends and allies began appearing, he had a choice to make.

“They can help.” [Ron] dropped his voice and said, so that none of them could hear but Hermione, who stood between them, “We don’t know where it is. We’ve got to find it fast. We don’t have to tell them it’s a Horcrux.” Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, who murmured, “I think Ron’s right. We don’t even know what we’re looking for, we need them.” And when Harry looked unconvinced, “You don’t have to do everything alone, Harry.”

One of the main themes of the Harry Potter series is need for others and the truth that we can accomplish more together. I’m not saying the Harry Potter books are as powerful as Romans 12 or 1 Corinthians 12, but they do have a lot to say about our need to work together. We can only accomplish so much alone. We can accomplish more, bear more fruit and bring more glory to God when we work together. Harry, Ron and Hermione prove this truth, as does everything the body of Christ has accomplished together.

Such a Time as This

I loved the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore even though I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. They were having their conversation in a white, bright version of King’s Cross, so they were either in limbo, purgatory or a hospital. Every time Dumbledore shows up he drops more wisdom than pre-orgy Solomon. He tells Harry:

Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.

Dumbledore sounds a bit like Gandalf when Gandalf told Frodo “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Dumbledore also sounds like Mordecai when Mordecai told Esther, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” We never know how or when God is going to use us, we just need to be ready when our number is called. We may not be called to defeat the Dark Lord or save the Hebrews from Haman. But, when God does call us, it will be for his purposes and we need to be ready.

Mortality

Earlier this week I used Voldemort as an example of a nerdy character who avoided his own mortality. Voldemort didn’t want to die; he hoped to reign as the Dark Lord for all of time. In spite of his best efforts, going to great lengths to split his soul amongst the different Horcruxes, Voldemort still died. Well, maybe he didn’t die, but he definitely didn’t live. Mortality is the price we pay for being alive. If something is alive then eventually it is going to die. Plants, animals, our spouses, our friends, our family members and us, we’re all going to die. Hopefully we’ll live long lives but even tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. We can learn a lesson from Harry and his friends who made the most of the lives they were given. God has created each of us, breathed life into our lungs and we should live our lives for his glory and his purposes every day. Because there will come a day when that breath of life leaves our lungs and our work here will be done. We can also learn a lesson from Tracy Jordan who reminded us to live every week like it’s Shark Week.

I’m a little sad to have finally finished the Harry Potter series. The Deathly Hallows was a great book, possibly my favorite of the series. I enjoyed the series as a whole and am happy to report that I show no signs of demon possession.

What thoughts do you have from the last six chapters of The Deathly Hallows?