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This conversation on its own spawns a ton of questions regarding exactly what the island is and what the heck is going on, but it also gets me thinking more about community. I’ve been chewing on what makes community, particularly Mark Scandrette’s idea that communities aren’t so much the special groups we’ve chosen to relate to but rather an intersection of folks with whom we cross paths. In Lost, Jack and his fellow survivors (as well as some of those they’ve encountered along the way) are thrown together due to their circumstances. They need each other to survive. And living so close together, they’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. Sometimes, they don’t really like each other, but most of the time they figure out a way to get along. A significant number of them have discovered each other’s stories and gifts. They’ve been blessed and confronted and reconciled and stretched. Back in civilization, most of these folks probably wouldn’t have chosen each other to relate with (in fact, the relationships between the Oceanic Six have fractured since they’ve returned to their previous lives), but on the island they had to. And most of them grew and were enriched because of it.
Being a part of a community, however, also entails responsibility. Each member is important and necessary. So, while I get that Ben’s admonition to Jack obviously relates to plot elements in the Lost universe, his words resonated with me on another level. It makes sense that this community of folks would have to face and confront the threats and problems facing them and the rest of their group together. It’s just rather bizarre that Ben of all people would be the one to say those words, heh.
All this makes me think of the implications for we followers of Jesus. Our way of life in America makes it easy to choose a community rather than engage in the ones around us—our neighbors, coworkers, relatives and friends. Frankly, like the group thrown together on Lost, communities like these are messy. Sometimes they are uncomfortable, maddening and gut-wrenchingly painful. But they are also full of delight, surprises, joy and people we’d never have encountered otherwise. Perhaps, as Scandrette puts it, “Our challenge is to learn to embrace, nurture, and cultivate these relationships to their fullest potential—to become the best kind of neighbor, daughter, uncle, colleague, or friend.” If we are to be truly missional—to “Go” and be light and life and love as we work and walk with God, to be and bring the good news that Jesus has put everthing together again—then perhaps that means engaging with and embracing the communities and people we already have available instead of forming or choosing them.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t gather with others or form communities with others outside our regular walking paths, but thinking like this does encourage us to engage more in the communities and relationships already available to us. When we really pay attention to and become embroiled in those communities and relationships, we start to rely on and need each other. We find we are not only needed but also need others, that we are not only bringing God's light, love and life but also encountering his light, love and life in those relationships and groups. We are blessed, confronted, stretched and reconciled. Personally, like some of those folks on Lost, I'm finding that living like this is both humbling and enriching.
So, kudos to the writers, job well done. I’m looking forward to next season—I’m just sorry I have to wait until next fall to find out where that island went, heh.
(Images: ABC) lostctgy