The Horcrux of the Matter

Spoiler Alert!  Nerd Alert!  Consider this a Deathly Hallows prequel to the movie review.  Sorry to say, I did not see Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows at the stroke of midnight when it opened recently.  I simply value sleep to much (sorry Fan-boys, I guess I lose some geek street cred there).  But, I do plan on seeing it this afternoon.  So far everyone who has seen the movie has enjoyed it, and allegedly it follows the book fairly accurately, at least as well as any Hollywood production can.  It can't get much worse than Two Towers (am I right, my fellow Tolkien fans!?).  There's been one question I've had since I heard they were doing the movies and especially this final 7th and soon to be 8th movie.  It's rather fitting that this series will end with an 8th movie.  After all, the books are by Rowlings own admission, all about death and life.  And there's no better number for talking about death and life than the number 8.  8 sided fonts. 8 saved in the ark.  Baptism.  New creation.  Eden restored.  Paradise is yours in the resurrection of Christ - today!  But this is not a paper for Dr. Just (hope you all can take a joke, I do appreciate his work on this subject and if that joke was totally lost on you, I'm sorry for the seminary humor).  This is actually supposed to be a brief post about the one thing I really hope to see in this first installment of the Deathly Hallows.  So, let's cut the muggle and get to the point.  We've known throughout all the books that Harry is the boy who lived because his parents were the ones who did not thanks to he-who-must-not-be-named (here on referred to as Voldemort because He is defeated in Deathly Hallows and his name no longer has any power in Hogwarts or Huntington Beach).  In the book, Deathly Hallows, Harry comes to his parent's tombstone and finds an inscription written on it.  This is what I am most interested in.  For the key to understanding the entire Potter series rests in the inscription on that headstone: The last enemy to be destroyed is death.  Most may pass it off as a clever way to wrap some hope into an otherwise sad and lonely life of a teenage wizard.  But the more nerdy (or just Biblically literate) will recognize this passage, and it is no small significance.  Here's where it comes from:

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.  - 1 Corinthians 15:12-28, especially note verse 26 in bold!

And that my fellow Hogwarts students is the horcrux of the matter.  I won't spoil the entire reason why this is so important in the book.  You'll have to read if for yourself, or watch the movie (maybe, hold the phones on that one).  We'll see if the resurrection shows up as clearly as it does in the books.  Ultimately, that is the reason for the series: confidence in the resurrection in the face of death.  Perhaps you could even say that Harry (and all who are not associated with Voldemort) live in this hope and in the end triumph in it as well...but I fear I have said more than needed.  For now, we'll leave further review for after the show.  Rest assured, I'll be looking at one headstone very closely because Harry was and so was Rowling when she wrote it all.