There are so many important things happening in the world about which I could write. But I find myself sitting here, in the midst of Lent and on the cusp of the vernal equinox, thinking about the television show Lost. I love this show, now in its final season. I waited and waited for the premiere episode of the final season to come, as it finally did on Groundhog Day. I believe this final season is off to a promising start. Instead of flashing back in time (like they did for a while), or flashing forward in time (like they did for a while), they now seem to be “flashing sideways” (as some are calling it). That is, there are now two simultaneous timelines. I won’t try to explain Lost. It’s far too complicated for me to explain, even if I could. Why do I love it? In addition to the amazing quality of the acting, writing, filming, etc., the show focuses on the big questions of existence. There’s the matter of time and space… and the matter of what “reality” is. There are allusions to western and eastern religious traditions, and to ancient Egyptian traditions. There are questions of “good versus evil” and all sorts of ethical quandaries. But if I really had to try to put my finger on it, I think the primary reason I love Lost is that you never know what’s in store. That’s the real beauty of the complexity of the show. Everything is interdependent; everything is mysteriously and mystically connected, but you still never know what will happen next. Sure, you can guess. You can even make educated guesses. But you can’t really know until it happens. And that’s the beauty of life, in many ways. We know that we’re living as a part of the “interdependent web of all existence”. We know that “we are stardust”, as Joni Mitchell put it. But as much as we try to control what happens in our lives, we’re never fully in control. Most things (almost all things) about the universe are beyond our control – beyond our comprehension, even. We’re lost in the wonder of it all. And really, isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it awesome? Sometimes, it’s good to be lost. Mystics sometimes talk of being “lost in love” for the Divine. But for those of us who have yet to experience the bliss of being lost in cosmic love, there is still the love that we can find right here, right now, together. As Parker J. Palmer has written, the relational life of the congregation “gives us the chance to lose ourselves in others and thereby find ourselves healed and whole again.” (Going Public, 1980 paper) Let’s get lost! J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all those who wander are lost.” The truth and the meaning and the beauty are found in the unpredictable journey, shared with those we love. I am plumb excited to be lost with you. In faith, Lara

Posted by Rev. M. Lara Hoke on March 10th, 2010