Lost

Having watched the final episode of "Lost," I must say that what I thought would be a "Star Wars" ending of the battle between Good (Jack) and Evil (John) ended up a rather opaque, vapid notion of eternal life, filled with loving couples and reconciled antagonists. I was disappointed, not only because it cast eternity as something other than enjoying God forever and ever, but also because it did not fulfill the expectation I had of something more dramatic, like Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader, Revelation Apocolyspe between Jesus and Satan, Johanine battle between Dark and Light.

I guess I expected some sort of cosmic warfare, which always delighted my cinematic imagination.

However, there is a Christian observation in all this. From reading the Holy Scriptures, I can't reconcile the "Lost" notion of eternal life from what Christians believe. We believe that, through the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, we are raised with Him now and at the end of our lives on earth. When we die, we enter into a relationship with the Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We don't take our dog with us. We don't join our fishing buddies in a heavenly trip to the heavenly Ozarks. We don't join Aunt Bessie in her divine sewing circle. We join God and enjoy Him forever and ever.

That's why I dislike many introductory lines in the daily obituarys. "John has gone to join his hunting buddies in the sky" type thing. God is the beginning, middle and end of our days. It is an existence in presence, not a place in the sky.