Lost Study: “Found”
Lesson 1: Needs, Limitations, And Expectations
Inter-group activity: have each group try to get balls into
a trashcan without using their hands or arms.
Watch Disk 1 Episode 4, “John Locke Study”.
Isaiah 64:1-12
Mark 2:1-12
Prayer: “Dear Lord In Heaven, you frustrated every
expectation when you came in the form of a carpenter on a Cross. Help us to
truly be ready for anything. Amen.”
Intra-group activity: Have all the students list the things
in life they NEED, rather than just what they want. Next, have them list the
things they expect to happen on the trip.
Discussion Questions:
What physical
limitations did John Locke face? What spiritual limitations did he face?
(Note: Of course, Locke is in a wheelchair and this defines
his physical limitations. But Locke’s limitations also include his job, which
he hates and is unsuited to his talents. Spiritually, Locke is limited by his
vision, he is actually dreaming too small when it comes to his destiny; and
he’s spent time living in a dream world: his female companion is a fantasy
phone girl and his walkabout isn’t suited to his situation.)
What limitations do
you face in your life, physically and spiritually?
What did Locke think
his destiny was before the plane crash, what did he expect God to give him?
(Note: He was expecting God to put him on safari in
Australia. This is a fake ‘military like’ activity, something imaginary and
without real substance. It also isn’t something he can do. So his vision was
both too small and misdirected. He thought his destiny was to play a game…not
very moving.)
What did God give him
instead? What did his destiny turn out to be?
(Note: Locke’s destiny was to crash on that Island, strangely, this gave him his legs back and put
him in a situation where he can protect people. John’s destiny was to be healed
and to be given a real chance at a real adventure.)
What needs did the Doc
discover he had that he didn’t know he needed before?
(Note: The Doctor has learned that he needs other people,
and needs emotional contact with others. He’s pretended not to care because he
doesn’t think he needs to care about them personally, but his reaching out to
the woman is really a way to heal himself.)
How can it be that we
need things we don’t even know we need?
(Note: We are often blinded by expectations and desires. We
let our WANTS hide our NEEDS. We should remember that God knows what we need
better than we do. We need to be straight about when we are asking God to
fulfill a real need and when we are asking for petty desires.)
Can you think examples
of discovering new needs in your own life?
How did God surprise
the world in the Isaiah passage?
(Note: He surprised the world by taking a small and
insignificant people and making them His own. He took nobodies and did miracles
on their behalf. This stunned the world and turned these ‘nobodies’ into a
force that changed the world.)
What did the people
expect Jesus to do when He met the paralytic? What did He do that frustrated
their expectations?
(Note: People EXPECTED Jesus to heal the man, instead He
forgave the man’s sins. This frustrated their desire to have the man healed and
to focus on the healing as the most important role Jesus played. Jesus primary
role is not physical healing but spiritual healing, which we often don’t even
acknowledge we need. His forgiving sins also put Him in God’s place and the
idea that this man was God was indeed bothersome for many people.
Lesson 2: Salvation and Leadership
Inter-group activity: have each group act out a scene where
one person helps/saves another and the other finds some way to criticize or get
mad at the person who saved them.
Watch Disk 2, Episode 1 “Jack Study”
Matthew 27:39-44
John 8:31-38
Mark 10:41-45
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, we know we have more capacities within
us than we use. Help us to see ourselves as you see us, capable, and powerful.
Amen.”
Intra-group activity: Have the youth name some of the
qualities they want in a leader.
Discussion Questions:
What is the right
response to the event at the beginning of the episode where the bullies are
beating up the other boy?
Why does Jack feel
guilty about not saving the girl?
(Note: Because he could imagine a more perfect scenario
where he saved Boon AND the girl. Jack thinks that because he didn’t save
everyone he is a failure, he doesn’t see his successes but only where he fell
short. This probably relates to his relationship with his father.)
Why do people look at
Jack as a leader?
(Note: Jack is strong willed and capable, and they already
rely on him in important ways because he is a physician. They see doctors as
capable and intelligent by nature and so they assume he’s a born leader. )
What kind of person
does Jack’s father say Jack is? What effect does this have on Jack?
(Note: Jacks’ Dad tells him that he ‘doesn’t have what it
takes’. This tends to make Jack doubt his abilities and certainly makes it hard
to see himself as a leader. It also causes him to be ‘down’ on himself and
always see his failures over and against his successes.)
Boon is mad at Jack
for trying to help and save people? How did people response to Jesus’ attempts
to save them? Why do we sometimes resent the people that want to help us?
(Note: Partly because we often get helped in ways we don’t
expect or want. People’s help is often directed at our needs rather than our
wants. Partly also because we resent the fact that we cannot save ourselves.
Boon is really mad at himself, and projecting that on to Jack. Often we are
angry at ourselves for not being able to be self-sufficient, so the people we
NEED become the object of our anger.)
Have you ever had an
experience like this?
Do you think some
people today are offended by the idea that they need a savior? Why is that?
(Note: The idea that we need a savior is very unpopular
nowadays. People today are individualists…meaning they think they are
self-sufficient. When this delusion is challenged, and their very being is
labeled dependent on someone else, they get offended and tend to attack the
idea. We don’t want to face our deep need for another, even in the dark regions
of the self. We are always in need of ‘another’.)
What kind of man did
Jacks’ father claim himself to be? What kind of man did he turn out to be?
(Note: Jack’s father claimed to be some ‘hero’, some person
of rugged capability. But when push came to shove he gave in to alcohol and
self-degradation. In the end his father DIDN’T ‘have what it takes’.)
What about Jack, was
he right about HIM?
(Note: No. Jack’s the man his father believed himself to be.
Jack DOES ‘have what it takes’. One of the marks of being a good leader and
person is, paradoxically, not KNOWING oneself to be a good leader/person.
Jack’s own doubts and unwillingness to take power are indications that he
deserves the job of leader. If Jack can just get past his more unreasonable
doubts about himself he would fall into that role perfectly.
What kind of person do
you think you are? Are you a heroic person? Are you a leader?
What qualities does
Jesus say leaders in the Kingdom must have?
(Note: Primarily humility. It is the servant, the lowest,
the weakest who becomes the leader in the Kingdom of God.
This paradox is central to the gospels and plays itself out in this episode of
LOST.)
John claims that we
can choose to look at events as things that just happen or as things that
happen for a reason, is this right? How do you choose to look at things and
why?
What was Jacks’ speech
at the end about?
(Note: Jack is giving people roles and helping them see that
they need each other. It is about community, and what people have to do in
order to survive together. It is both a moral and practical lesson. Beautiful,
really.)
Lesson 3: Living Out Our Roles
Inter-group activity: have the group create a machine that
does some simple job. Each person will make up some part of the machine, but it
will all work together to do something simple and everyday.
Watch Disk 3, Episode 3 “Jack Study II”
Prayer: “God, You have a place for us, a niche you want us
to fill. Help each one of us find that role, and fill that niche. Amen.”
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Discussion Questions:
Why doesn’t Jack wait
for a search party?
(Note: Jack feels guilty and responsible for what has
happened to Claire, he tends to overestimate his abilities and isn’t thinking
clearly. Now that he’s leader, Jack think that makes him a cowboy, capable of
going off and completing whatever he wants to without interference from the
others.)
Have you ever refused
good advice and had it cause you problems?
What kind of role does
Locke suggest Jack should play? What kind of role does Locke give himself?
(Note: Locke makes Jack ‘the physician’ and himself ‘the
hunter’.)
What roles do you play
in your own lives?
Why is it important to
have assigned roles in life? What does Paul say about each person having their
own role?
(Note: God calls each person to a specific function, and
every function is important BECAUSE God called them to it. No function can be
accounted small if God is the key player, if God is your ‘boss’. Paul describes
this perfectly when he talks about different roles in the church. Roles are
part of our vocation, we are place in areas of life where we are needed, we are
CALLED to vocations. Our roles matter when it comes to finding out who were are
and who God wants us to be. Plus, it’s just practical and necessary. Without
clearly defined roles things would end in anarchy. )
How can accepting our
roles limit us? How does Michael respond to his given role, how does he feel
about being left out of the search party?
(Note: Michael resents Locke defining his role for him, and
thinks he can do more than he’s been given. This is a perfect illustration of
the theological problem behind our assigned roles. We need to make sure it is
God who is defining us and not solely other people. People can put us in roles
God doesn’t intend. We have to discern who we are in relation to God before we
can discern who we are in relation to others.)
Why is Jack so apt to
feel guilty about things? When is guilt healthy? When is it unhealthy?
(Note: Jack has control issues and thinks of himself as too
powerful. This is a good illustration of ‘bad guilt’. Guilt is healthy when it
results from actions that are really born of a willfulness to do wrong or a
lack of willfulness to do right. It is unhealthy when it is born of the
illusion of control over events we couldn’t have caused.)
Jack’s dad compares
losing his career to losing his life, Kate talks about how her dad’s activities
as an army ranger (spending time in the woods) is like his ‘religion’, Lock and
Boon are discussing their jobs back home. How does our occupation define us?
DOES it define us? What other roles in life tell us who we are?
How does our regular
society look at our occupation in relation to our roles in life?
(Note: We live in a society where our job defines us too
much. Your vocation is a whole life approach. It includes your church
membership and duties, volunteer work, and more. It is what you do with your
LIFE, not just how you make your money.)
Lesson 4: Shedding the Old Life, Adopting the New
Inter-Group Activity: Have the groups turn a bunch of
garbage into a ‘work of art’.
Watch Disk 4 Episode 1 “Boon Study”
Prayer: “God help us to die with Christ, to leave our old
life behind, so we can be raised with Him, and enter the New Life You have
planned for us.”
Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17
Why does Locke think
the hatch is more important than food and water?
(Note: Locke senses something more important is going on and
feels called to do what he’s doing. Sometimes being called to an activity can
make that activity seem more important even than the bare necessities.)
What are your highest
priorities, what ‘intangible things’ are more important to you than the basics
of life?
In what way does this
group/experience meet some of those needs?
Locke mentioned how
Michelangelo saw not the rock, but what the rock could be. Many have compared
this to how Jesus saw people. How does Locke see boon? What can you become, do
you think?
(Note: Locke sees Boone as someone who can possibly come
into communion with this Island has he has.
Locke sees Boone becoming ‘powerful’ and moved by destiny as he is.)
Why does Locke want
Boone to see the distinction between Boone’s statement of “I can’t keep lying
to her” and the possibility that Boone just doesn’t like the way lying to her
makes him feel?
(Note: Boone is hiding his fear behind the illusion of life.
He’s acting like he loves his stepsister so he can pretend he isn’t just afraid
to live without her. Locke knows that as long as Boone holds on to this
illusion of love he can’t be who he’s meant to be.)
Why does Locke say
he’s attacking Boone?
(Note: He wants Boone to face his past as the Island seems to have made Locke face his. He thinks this
is necessary if Boone is going to move forward and ‘be all he can be’.)
Why is facing our past
so important if we are to really change who we are?
(Note: Until we face our past we don’t even know why we do
the things we do, and so we can’t make right adjustments to our behavior. We
have to try to cast off the life of who we were before so we can move into a
new life of lived meaning.)
Is what Locke does
justified, given the result?
Why is Boone’s
relationship with his sister harmful?
(Note: Boone’s ‘sister’ is manipulative and their
relationship is based on all the wrong things. There is no love here, only
sexual attraction and fear. When a relationship is based on codependency and
fear it gets you farther from God.)
What relationships in
your life have harmed you?
How can we move on
from these problems to ‘new life’?
What did Shannon’s illusory death do for Boone?
(Note: It made him face the real nature of his relationship
and let go of what was holding him back. He’s now ready to move forward in his
‘discipleship’ with Locke.)
Lost Study: “Found”
Lesson 4: Childhood & Maturity
Watch Disk 4 Episode 2 “Michael Study”
Inter-group activity: have the youths write out who they
thought was the biggest hero in the story tonight and why.
Prayer: “Lord God, help us retain the outlook of childhood
while advancing towards spiritual maturity.”
Scripture: 1 Cor 13:11, Mark 10:13-16, 1 Tim 4:12
How would you describe
your relationship with your parents?
Why do you think the
parent/child relationship is so hard?
(Note: Parenting itself is a lot of responsibility, it takes
work and parents have a lot of themselves invested in their children. Important
matters lead to strong emotions and that can complicate any relationship. You
have generational issues, and you are dealing with issues of maturity.)
Is Locke right about treating
Walt like a man?
(Note: Lock’s point about Walt’s experiences is persuasive.
The truth is Mike is treating Walt too much like a baby, Walt has more wisdom
than Michael gives him credit for.)
What is the danger in
doing this?
(Note: Youths still need guidance and protection. We have a
responsibility with them that exceeds just treating them as adults. Locke
doesn’t know what it is like to be a father, and Michael feels the weight of
his responsibility, as he should.)
What drove Mike and
his wife apart?
(Note: Michaels’ wife saw a life she wanted more and went
for it, to hell with everyone else. She is self-centered and pretends she’s
doing what she does for her child. She acts immature and doesn’t take her commitments
or the ramifications of her actions into consideration, beyond how they affect
her.)
Why does Michael have
such a hard time relating to people effectively?
(Note: Michael is emotional and doesn’t listen to other
people. He is overwhelmed but afraid to let anyone know how hard he’s having
it, this prevents him from reaching out to others effectively and leads to
problems in his relationships.)
What is the ultimate
result of Mike’s wife’s behavior?
(Note: Walt is left with no parent after she passes, and no
relationship with a father he now needs. Her immaturity is the selfishness of a
brat, not the sublimity of an innocent child. And the result is terrible.)
Why did Michael lie to
his son? Was this the right decision?
(Note: Michael wanted to protect Walt, he loves Walt and
doesn’t want him to feel abandoned. But he needs to have more respect for his
son and trust him with the truth. A relationship cannot be based on lies.)
How do Walt and Michael
mature at the end? How do they maintain a childlike outlook?
(Note: Walt realizes Michael is having a tough time, but
loves him and would do anything for him. This allows Walt to begin looking at
him like a father and respecting him as such. Michael realizes Walt is more
mature than he gave him credit for and starts treating HIM with more respect by
telling him the truth about his mothers’ attempts to keep Michael away.
However, they also step into a place where they both act as children by
laughing at the cartoon. This allows them to add a level of tenderness to an
otherwise difficult moment of truth.)
What do you think it
means to be mature?
Why do you think Jesus
tells us to ‘look up’ to children?
Lost Study: “Found”
Lesson 5: Chance & Destiny
Watch Disk 5 Episode 2 “Hurley Study”
Inter-group activity: have each group demonstrate some new
‘game of chance’.
Prayer: “Dear Lord, life seems so random sometimes, help us
see Your Hand behind the fog of chaos. Amen.”
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:11, Matthew 10:29, 1 Peter 5:8
What would you do if
you won the lottery?
Why do you think
lottery winners find the money so much trouble in the long run?
(Note: people overestimate the value of money when it comes
to the good life, and they underestimate the way power breeds problems. The new
concerns, issues, etc, that come with the money often become more trouble than
the money is worth.)
Have you ever had
something happen to you which you thought was good luck but wound up being more
trouble than it was worth?
Hurley is following a
‘trail of coincidences’ that seem to him to have some meaning to them. Have you
ever had coincidences that came to you as something more than just chance? What
is the best way to respond to these kinds of situations, do you think?
(Note: We should be careful labeling events as meaningful.
For the most part, meaning is our response to a situation, not the situation
itself. But sometimes events come together that seem more than just chance,
they come to us as meaningful, and when we feel called we should follow them to
see where they lead.)
Why do people respond
to Hurley’s ideas about his curse so harshly?
(Note: People don’t want to face the possibility that they
might be at the mercy of forces beyond their understanding or control. People
want to BELIEVE they make their own luck. The reality is there are good and
evil forces of titanic proportions at work in the universe and we are in that
fight whether we believe it or not.)
What do the passages
from the New Testament say about this?
(Note: Jesus points to God’s mastery over all things. Peter
talks about the devil ‘consuming whom he may devour’.)
What is the danger in
believing you are the cause of everyone else’s problems?
(Note: We can overestimate our own power and significance
and end up entering into a sinful self-idolatry. It also leads to overt guilt
over things we can do nothing about. A person with an attitude like Hurley’s
can be self-aggrandizing and also be looking for a way to avoid responsibility
for their own actions.)
What does the
Ecclesiastes quote say about this?
(Note: That time and chance happen to all, that much of what
happens in life happens without a ‘reason’.)
How can we reconcile a
world at the mercy of various forces which also is a place of randomness and
where humans still try to maintain some self control?
How does Hurley assert
himself over time, chance, and destiny?
(Note: He is asserting himself by finding out what the
numbers mean. The entire quest for Rousseau is Hurley asserting his free will
in the face of a world of destiny and chance.)
How does Rousseau help
Hurley?
(Note: Rousseau shares Hurley’s pain, she is in there with
him in the randomness and confusion and that gives him strength.)
Lost Study: “Found”
Lesson 6: Growing Weary
Watch Disk 5 Episode 3 “Locke Study 2”
Inter-group activity: Bucket activity
Prayer: “Holy Spirit, we are going to grow weary, and fall.
Help us to pick ourselves back up again. Amen.”
Bible Passage: Galatians 6:1-10
Why do you think Locke
won’t tell Boone ‘his story’?
(Note: Locke is ashamed about a lot of his past; he’s even
ashamed he wasn’t able to walk. Besides he’s afraid Boone isn’t ready for the
full ramifications of where they are, to realize what it really is all about.)
Why do you think Locke
is losing control of his legs?
(Note: Locke thinks he’s being tested, and perhaps that’s
true. Or perhaps it’s the island’s way of making sure he does what it wants.
Maybe it’s something else altogether.)
Has your faith ever
been tested? How did you come through it?
Why do you think Locke
is so apt to see his journey to his father as something of meaning and value?
(Note: Locke has been an orphan all his life, and his
meeting with his mother was dramatic and seemed coincidental. Everything seems
to be coming together to lead Locke to help his dad.)
Locke misunderstood
what was going on with his father, and he fails to realize the significance of
Boone’s injuries in the dream. Why do you think we sometimes misinterpret
events as God’ Will and miss God’s Will when it’s staring us in the face?
(Note: God’s voice is subtle and sometimes hard to nail
down. Plus we are ruled by sin, and that can effect even our religious
impulses. Locke wants to get into that plane and wants his legs back, and that
is what causes him to risk Boone’s life, he wants a father and has emotional
issues from being an orphan, and that is what leads him to his father. His
desires color his experiences and prevent him from seeing the big picture.)
How can we tell, then,
when we are hearing God’s voice?
(Note: A good yardstick is whether we are being led some
place we don’t want to go ourselves. God challenges us, and calls us to work
and difficulty. When the call doesn’t match our desires, we can have a better
hold that what we are dealing with is God’s Will and not our own.)
What is the connection
between Boone and Locke?
(Note: Boone caused someone to become paralyzed, and that
has haunted him. Locke himself was paralyzed. There lives have a strange
connection. )
How does Boone work
for Locke’s good, how does he help him through the test?
(Note: He risks his life to get into the plane, making sure
Locke gets what he needs.)
How did John’s dad’s
actions affect his faith do you think?
How can we deal with
dead ends…places we thought our faith was taking us that turned out to be just
our own sinful desires? How do we help each other avoid and deal with these
situations?
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