One of my favorite books from the past year has been "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" by Madeleine L'Engle.  (I briefly mentioned it some time ago somewhere around here.)  Her writing is brilliant--relatable--generous--inspiring....I kept a notebook beside me as I read the book because it felt like I was underlining every other paragragh and needed to copy down sentences as a way of absorbing them.  I wanted to eat her words.  L'Engle states up front and makes it very clear she considers herself to be a Christian and that her writing originates from this perspective.  Her basic premise is all art that points us to something bigger/ greater than ourselves is by her definition "Christian Art"--even if the artist is not a Christian and/or did not intend for the art to be Christian.  She goes on to explain this throughout and one of her strongest arguments--and one of my favorite take away "ah-ha's"--is that (and I am strongly paraphrasing here) nothing could be more secular than God becoming human.  yes!  I love it when profound thoughts are laid out so simply :)  It is so simple and yet, somehow this one idea keeps turning and turning within me.

And not too-too long ago I linked to a post by Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity where in she says that artists aren't genius themselves--but at times are able to tap into some outward/ external pool of genius.  To take my ongoing conversation w/ L'Engle and couple it with a little Gilbert would be the basic heart of my understanding  of LOST.  Producers-writers, Carlton Cruse & Damon Lindelof,  stated in the pre-finale wrap up (again, paraphrasing) that they felt as though the story of LOST already existed and they were able to find it and give it life.  I (obviously) agree as the show was too big in it's scope to have come solely from here.

I have read many recaps and summations of the show some of which point to the facts, some to the gaps.  The one that rings truest for me was posted on Jezebel (sorry, I can't seem to figure out who the author is)--which highlights the spiritual magnitude of the show.  This too is what I found so compelling.  The big revelation of LOST was that it unabashadly pointed to something bigger--something more.  I've never encountered t.v. the way I did with show--I have never experienced a show that tried to engage philosophy and theology and human history and science and art and religion--EVERYTHING--like this one show did.  (I've also never given a second glance towards science fiction--but that too has now changed.)  Is it odd to say I'm grateful for the experience of LOST?  Cause I am and I felt like to watch it was to take part of some sort of ginormous communion with humanity.  Art brings the divine to us; LOST is art.  L'Engle would've loved the show.