Lost

I like the show Lost. I don't write down clues or watch the episodes in slow motion. But I think I have seen every episode, and while I certainly have opinions about a season or two, overall, I have really enjoyed the ride of the show.

Generally speaking, while I enjoy nitpicking, I can't really enjoy a show if I know 'whodunnit.' My DH can't stand my nitpicking--'she didn't close the door when she came into the house,' 'In this camera his hand is on her left shoulder, but when they switch angles, his hand pops over to her right!' But when it comes to guessing the end, it is he who just can't resist himself. He also shakes wrapped presents. The horror!

So with that in mind, you can see I am not one who would spend a lot of time piecing together clues in Lost to figure out the big ending. I really do enjoy the ride.

This last season has been most interesting with the introduction of the Man in Black. We met him at the end of last season as a long-time (and the term long means several hundred years at least) companion/nemesis/neighbor of Jacob. We saw in the scene of his introduction that it is Jacob who draws people to the island, and the batch of people we see now is hardly the first. We also see that the Man in Black sees Jacob as foolish and would love to kill him, but cannot. We do not know what stops him, but he speaks openly to Jacob about his burning desire to end Jacob's life.

This season, the Man in Black has found a loop hole to the law that keeps him from killing Jacob; he kills him by proxy. He is able to take on the image and memories of John Locke and convince Ben Linus to kill Jacob. He expertly manipulates Ben to his own will.

He is a liar, a painter of pictures, and a menacing killer. But he is still containable. The Man in Black is not all powerful. The Others have managed ways of keeping out the Black Cloud (another form our illustrious Man in Black can take.)

Like I said, I don't know how Lost will end. But from what I have seen so far of this season, I think it is a success for believers of Jesus Christ. Why? This show, if not the story, has become a compelling testimony to God's Sovereignty.

If the writers are intentionally telling a story of Christ, then what an amazing thing to have kept the attention of the public for 6 years! In our society, attention is a hot and depleting commodity. Couple that with the fact that most of the entertainment industry is hotly liberal and against many of the tenets of the Christian faith. It would be an astounding phenomena if this is the intended route of the writers.

On the other hand, if the Roman Road was not on the writers' minds in the making of this season and show, there is something just as compelling to be found. I believe this is proof that God truly does write Truth on the heart of every man. Even if they didn't plan for the Gospel to be shared, the Gospel is there. This battle for good and evil, the willing sacrifice of the One Who draws us close, the calling on our lives to serve and protect His creation, the pride and jealousy that perverts beauty into homicidal deceit. It is all there.

This story of good versus evil is told by believers and non-believers alike ad infinitum because it is the most important notion in all the world, throughout all time.

So, I am a fan, along for the ride to the end of Lost. I don't know the ending, and I don't want to know it until the credits begin to roll. I want to savor it in the days following, enjoying the nuances of intricate story lines. If the final reveal shows the glory of God in an obvious way, whew! What a remarkable thing that will be! But if not, I can already see--without having to shake any gift boxes--His sovereignty reigning.