ABC's hit show Lost is pushing the limits of television shows in a number of very exciting ways.

Perhaps these limits have been pushed before, but not so publicly or so strongly as the writers, directors, and producers of Lost have. Here's my first observation:

1. Storytelling: The Macro-Plot

J.J. Abrams and the other writers involved wrote out the entire storyline from start to finish before they marketed the show to ABC. They know what is going to happen in season 3, in season 5, etc. They tweak it, yes, but they aren't just making this up as they go. They know the story. And it is a story.

Are we over the reality shows yet? No plot, neverminda story. Friends and Seinfield had lots of jokes, but the shows didn't really lead anywhere. It wasn't storytelling. Nor was sitcom TV. The closest I can think of was "The Pretender" where it seemded that the writers made up the macroplot as they they went, or Nowhere Man, where they had a macroplot to the detriment to the individual episodes.

C.S. Lewis expounds on a conversation he had with J.R.R. Tolkein in which Tolkein said that every story is a parallel of the gospel. The story of Jesus is the greatest "Fairy Tale" or "Myth" - terms he used to mean stories told to covey truth and values. The distinction is that not only is the story of Jesus one of handing down truth and values through a story, but it is also a historical story - the greatest fairy tale and the greatest fact. Every good story in history is merely a parallel to that story - just an intersting though. That's why every good story has a redeemer figure, etc.

One thing I love about the story of Lost is that it is repeatedly brought back to an echo of the fall and redemption. Through broken relationships, violence, hatred, inner struggles, people are pulled apart, they hurt each other - but then people are reconciled to each other - Sun and Jin the Korean husband and wife; Michael and Walt, the father and son who have been separated for most of Walt's life; Jack and Kate; Jack and Sawyer; Charlie and Claire - over and over people are being reconciled.

Another pattern is that of redemption - people change. Then always happen to die almost immediately after they get over whatever their big problem is... but they do change. Only Libby has died without a very clear personal change... perhaps we'll find out more about that later.

At my workplace, questions about Lost lead to discussions of faith, storytelling, and wicked conspiracy theories.

I love the storytelling dimension of Lost; Now the storytelling is captivating to the younger audience (twomps and teens) because it is being brought online - into an interactive story. Check out thelostexperience.com for more info about that.

This is now drawing the audience into the story - those of us who are really sucked in no longer just observe the TV show, we participate in uncovering the clues hidden on various websites, phone numbers, etc. The most obsessive watchers are now participators in the story, and an online community of seekers is out there, contributing clues they find to the collective discovery of the story.

This makes me wonder what we should be doing today in the suburbs to communicate thruth and values to the twomps and teens around us? How do we get out of exegetical textbook studies and into the story. The story of the fall and redeption reoccurs every day in relationships and in the world around us.

We miss it. Life is a story, and we just don't notice.

Like the story of Lost, regardless of what may surprise us, the author has already charted out each chapter, and has already written the ending.

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