Why I love LOST, part 2

LOST is driven by a larger story, a story that has a definite end.

The second reason I love LOST is because there is a larger story at work. The individual stories of the characters drive the day-to-day action of the show, but the larger story is what keeps us longing for more.

In Seasons 2 and 3, it was hard to tell where exactly LOST might be going. We all knew The Island was mysterious, we all knew there was more to learn, but when Locke, Desmond, Jack, and Eko kept pushing that button, I really felt like a mouse in a maze never being able to find my way out.

The finale to Season 3 changed all that when we moved from having flashbacks to having flashforwards. Finally, after 3 long seasons, we were glimpsing the future and a small taste of where the show might be going. The flashforwards continued to inform us about individual characters, but more than that, they made us even more aware of the larger story - the mystery of The Island and of Jacob.

The other part of this is that we have the end in sight. After Season 3, the producers of LOST announced that they the show would end after six seasons. At first, I think I was disappointed, but then I realized how genius it was. By setting some boundaries, the producers and writers were able to write with the end in mind, which I think has made the show so much better ever since. (In fact, I would now say that every show should set limits because almost every show drones on and on until finally it gets cancelled and it ends in mediocrity.)

And so, here we are. Ready to start the final season and hoping that many of our questions will be answered. I say many because if there's one thing I've learned watching LOST, it is to treasure mystery and not expect every question to have an answer. After all, it is the mystery that has helped the show last six seasons, and it is mystery that will help it endure even when it is all done.

Many of my thoughts were inspired by The Gospel According to LOST, by Chris Seay. A worthy read for any fan of the show.

Why I love LOST, part 1

Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the end for LOST fans. The final season will kickoff with a 2-hour premiere, and we will be watching. When LOST first started, we were still avid Alias fans (still are really), so we decided not to watch LOST. But then we moved to Oxford and some of our new friends insisted we check it out. Now, here we are, almost 4 years later, and anxiously awaiting the start of the final season.


LOST is possibly one of the most intelligent, well-written and yet frustrating shows I've ever watched. Intelligent because of the philosophical, biblical, and historical undercurrents that make up the show's complex story line. Well-written because it has so many pieces that all seem to fit together...I think. Frustrating because you never really know what's going (which is what we hope the final season will reveal).


But for all that, and the fact that Oceanic 815 crashed on my birthday, September 22 (it's true, look it up); there are two main reasons why I love LOST.

LOST is a show built on the stories of people.


This could be said about any show, but LOST is unique in that almost every episode of the show through Season 3 follows a character's life before the crash. Through these flashbacks we learn who these castaways are, what they've done, and how they came to be on the plane that eventually crashes on The Island.


If not for these flashbacks, we would have no real connection to the characters. Our opinions and emotions toward each character shifts as we learn more about who they were before they came to The Island. We see them as real human beings with real human problems and real human brokenness. We see The Island gives these castaways a second chance, a way to redefine their lives. If not for the flashbacks, the only thing we would have to shape the characters are their present actions, and who really wants to be judged solely based on what people see in the here and now.


Think about it. When you are with a new group of people, what do you spend most of your time doing? You tell stories about yourself, usually things that happened in the past, and you hope that people will receive who you are not based solely on your present actions, but on your history as well.

LOST Example: Kate. Kate is the girl next door (or grass hut) on The Island. She is the middle of a love triangle, she is strong yet vulnerable, pretty yet rugged, sweet yet sassy. If the show were only about what happens in the present, we would think Kate to be the perfect heroine, and the dream girl of every guy. However, we learn as early as episode 2 in Season 1 that Kate is a fugitive in the custody of a U.S. Marshal. It takes time for the rest of the picture to fill in, but we learn that Kate is far from the girl next door. Kate murdered her abusive father, robbed a bank, married a guy under a false name, etc. etc. The thing that characterizes Kate most is her ability to always run away. Instead of dealing with life head on, she runs.


Island Kate starts off in a similar fashion. She desperately wants off The Island so she can avoid what faces her back in Iowa (murder charges). She also remains fickle as to her allegiance, running which ever way seems to meet her needs. BUT, by the end of Season 5, Kate is done running away. In fact, Kate has the opportunity to leave The Island behind and forget it all while sitting in a submarine heading toward America. Instead, she convinces Sawyer and Juliet to join her in running back to try to save the others!


And this is what makes LOST so great! Kate is a prime example of the personal transformation that happens on this show, and the power of one person's story to pull us in to the bigger story. Kate is only one example of many, because LOST is about how all the different characters, with all their different backgrounds come together for something big and momentous (which we don't really understand yet). BUT, the show is driven not just by what happens on The Island, but the stories of those involved.


Reason number two comes tomorrow...

First Sunday of Advent

**This post originally appears on our church's Advent blog. Feel free to check in with that one as well throughout the season.**

Zechariah 14:4-9

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives , east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake inthe days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

On that day there will be no sunlight, no cold, frosty darkness. It will be a unique day - a day known only to the Lord - with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterrean Sea, in summer and in winter.

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

The first Sunday of Advent represents the hope of redemption. We relive with the historic people of Israel the anxious waiting they did for the anointed one (Messiah). At the same time, we ourselves are waiting for the final redemption of all creation.

The passage from Zechariah illustrates the now and later aspect of redemption. Zechariah's words depict a deliverance from exile - a harsh reality for the Israelites - and yet something they've experienced before. (Note how God will part a mountain in order to deliver the people - eerily similar to how the Red Sea had been parted in Exodus.) But also in Zechariah's words are pictures of a day that needs no light and filled with living water, a day where God is God and no other name can stand. God would deliver his people from exile, but there is still more to come.

What are you waiting for this Advent season? Are you waiting in line to get the best deals? Are you waiting on the interstate in holiday traffic? Are you waiting on loved ones to come home?

As you wait, reorient your heart towards the One who is coming.

Living the Story

I got the chance to preach at my church on Sunday morning in Oxford. My work for Wesley was less than normal the week before, so I got to spend extra time preparing the sermon.