LOST: What It All Means

It's taken me 119 out of the 121.5 hours of the show, but I've finally figured all of Lost out. Surprisingly, I figured it out away from the actual show. You see, over the past five years I have made friends all over North America. I have friends back home in Kingsport, friends from Harding, friends I interned with in Huntsville, friends here in Canada, and friends all over the place. One thing that brings many of us together: Lost. This show has created a community. Not just the annoying internet community of message boards and blogs that meticulously scan evidence like a CSI team, come up with stupid theories, or endlessly complain to the point that you wonder why they even watch the show. But it's a community of people who I love in my life that I enjoy discussing, debating, and theologically analyzing the show with. I love after every episode texting my friend Drew, theorizing with my friend Wes on facebook chat, commenting on my youth minister's blog, and coming up to my friends at church saying, "Yo, did you SEE Lost?"

Above all, that's what I'm going to miss most about Lost when it ends Sunday night. I'm going to miss the characters, and the twists and turns of the plot, and how it always keeps me guessing, and the producers' podcasts, and the emotion, drama, and fun of Lost. But mostly I'm going to miss the conversations (many of them deeply spiritual) and the enjoyment I get out of sharing in this great show with a community around me (many of whom live thousands of miles away).

And in "The End" (pun intended), I think that's what Lost is all about. The show is about a group of characters who are seeking out redemption in a journey of renewal as a community. They do it through several interlocking (both past, present, future, and sideways) relationships that often conflict, encourage, disintegrate and cooperate. Whether the characters are dealing with parental issues, sins they have committed, emotional and spiritual baggage; together many have learned that the past doesn't matter and they can grow as a group into who they were meant to be. The show has taught us that our relationships and the choices we make with them MATTER, both in terms of how they affect those around us, but more importantly in the way ALL of our stories intersect with THE story that is being told through all creation.

In the fifth episode of season one, Jack makes a statement that soon became the mantra of the show that the characters must "Live together or die alone." And this is true on a small level with the groups of fans that enjoy the show together. But mostly on a meta-level that all of us can either choose to wallow alone in isolation or instead to reach our highest capacities of redemption and fulfillment both as individuals and as a people when we truly journey together in community. And isn't that truly what the kingdom of God is all about? A flawed and broken people joining together, bearing each others' burdens, and building each other up into a new creation as we seek to become a part of the story God has been telling.

And maybe that is how we all journey from Lost.......to Found.

Bulletin Article-The Drama of Mark

I wrote this last week for our bulletin and I figured I'd go ahead and put in on here as well:

As we reach the climactic scenes in the narrative of Mark, it is interesting that we begin to realize the drama of the story. Have you ever noticed that Biblical narratives provide great drama in a literary sense? These stories, whether they are in Genesis, Exodus, 1 & 2 Samuel, Daniel, the gospels, Acts, and in so many other places throughout the whole Bible, give us stories that are every bit as exciting and dramatic as famous stories, films, and literary works throughout history. Especially when reading the four gospel narratives, I can always feel the tension, the emotion, and the intense drama as the story comes to a climax. As Noel mentioned last week, we can see the severe mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical trauma that Jesus goes through in his last twenty-four hours, beginning with his impassioned plea to his father in Gethsemane. As the night continues, we can see the tension continue to build and build throughout the story.

However, what differentiates the gospel story and the other great stories in the Bible from famous works of literature is that these events actually happened. The reality of these events makes them all the more powerful. They’re not just tall tales, folklore, or parables. These were real people experiencing real emotions and persevering through real trials. This makes it fascinating to see how these real events mirror the traditional storytelling narratives so well, with the basic designs of introduction, conflict, plot, climax, and resolution. Perhaps the reason why people identify so well with this traditional plot structure is because God has divinely placed the essence of THE story deeply within us. This of course is the story that God has been writing since the beginning of time, the meta-narrative of all history, which is the story of God bringing his people back into relationship with him. This story begins in Eden, climaxes at the cross, and ends with God reigning with his people forever and ever. Since this story is placed so deeply within our souls, we naturally respond to any story, book, movie, or even television show that mirrors the plot narrative of THE story. It’s why we root for Luke to blow up the Death Star, why we hope Frodo can make it to Mount Doom, why we are happy for Wall-E and Eva to get back to each other, and even why we cheer for Hugh Grant to marry whatever woman he’s dating in whatever chick flick he’s in.

So when we reach the climax of the Gospel, it is natural for it to affect us in a deep and poignant way. Because this is the most important moment of the story of all stories. So how do we respond to this beautiful chapter in the story? Do we put the book down and go to bed? Or do we respond by finding OUR place in the story and play the part that God has been writing for us since the beginning of time? Because this story is continuing on today and WE are the supporting characters. May we all seek to quit trying to tell our own stories and instead take up our roles in HIS story.

-Dylan