LOST

There's a lot of talk lately about the gospel as narrative. That the Bible wasn't meant to be a rule book or a self-help book, but a story of who God is, who we are, and how one informs the other.

I not only find this to be true, I also find it very appealing. People aren't looking for a new set of rules. They aren't looking for the next self-help book. They are, on the other hand, looking for a better story to find themselves in.

There's a lot of talk lately about the TV show Lost. It is touted, by many, as the smartest show on television and maybe the greatest television show ever made. I wouldn't know, and here's why. I didn't watch Lost from the beginning. So now, when the praise of friends I trust becomes overwhelming, I give an episode a shot. By the end of said episode I am, as the show's title promises, extremely lost.

And my friend fans aren't helping. Anytime we're together and the topic of the show comes up, they immediately engage in a lot of insider talk. Occasionally one of them will see me beginning to tune out and will say, with a look of condescension or pity, "you really should watch the show."

I think that a lot of us within the Christian faith are like fans of the show Lost. Lost may, in fact, be the second greatest story ever told, but we take an insider attitude which implies that if you haven't followed the story since the beginning, you'll probably never catch up.

Of course, there are those who want to lend me the seasons on DVD the same way I might lend a friend a personal Bible study, but I never seem to get around to watching them. Better to have me into your home so that we can both begin at the beginning. Better to create opportunities for me to jump in. 

It isn't enough to know that it's a great story. Help me see a reason why I need to hear the story. Create opportunities for us to engage as friends around the story.

That way maybe I won't end up so lost.