Resurrection

What would you do if someone you loved suddenly came back from the dead? 32 years later? Without having aged at all?

That is the premise of ABC's new drama Resurrection, which debuted last night. Eight-year-old Jacob Langston, who had drowned 32 years and was apparently dead and buried, suddenly shows up at his parents' doorstep after having woken up in China with no memory of anything since his death.

Talk about a shock!

The doctor (Jacob's cousin) finds that his heart really is beating.

Jacob's return stirs up all kinds of emotions, as you can imagine. His mother is beside herself with joy at the miracle. His father seems to be conflicted, not knowing whether to believe it. His best friend, now a minister, is questioning what it means for his faith and what he teaches at church. And the local sheriff, whose wife drowned trying to save Jacob, is very interested in the mystery.

A pretty intriguing plot, and I must say I enjoyed watching the pilot.

I saw today that the premiere drew very strong ratings, with 13.3 million viewers and the highest 18-49 rating for a mid-season series premiere in about two years. Obviously, the idea of the dead coming back to life is something that grabs our attention.

This is the great hope of Easter: Not that there is some vague afterlife where we float around on clouds, but that because Jesus rose bodily from the grave, he has paved the way for us to follow him in resurrection.

That is why he told his friend Martha, just before raising her brother Lazarus from the dead, "I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in me will live, even though they die." (John 11:25)

It is noteworthy that the resurrection of Lazarus that shortly followed was much like the characters of the new show - complete and physical, yet temporary. Lazarus was fully alive, but he would die again. Not like the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of the future - complete, physical, and eternal.

Death is a horrible thing. It is the ultimate enemy, and it can rob us of our happiness at a moment's notice. When we see a show where death loses its grip, that's something we want to see. I know it's why I tuned in last night. And why I'll watch again.

Death has lost its grip. It lost its grip, its sting, its victory at the tomb of Jesus.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to Go! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

What a thing to celebrate...I can't wait for April 20, when the Christian calendar will call us all to rejoice in the.... Resurrection.

Fringe: The Bullet That Saved the World

It was, I dare say, one of the all-time great episodes of Fringe. And that's saying a heck of a lot.

This last Friday night's episode had it all. Action, adventure, poignant scenes. Love, hope, desperation, sacrifice, anger. I really don't even know where to start writing about it - I just had to. So let me try to set up the scene below with a little background for non-fans.

In the scene, after a humorous exchange designed to provide contrast (lasting about the first 30 seconds), we see Etta and Olivia preparing for a mission. Olivia is Etta's mother - despite the fact that they appear to be about the same age. (This - and please don't check out on me - is because Olivia has been suspended in kind of a cryogenic state for 21 years.) Etta has a necklace with a bullet she found among her mother's things when she was 13. This bullet has great significance. Watch:

SPOILER ALERT: If you watch Fringe and haven't seen the episode yet, go no further. Stop here and watch it immediately!

Yes, the bullet has great significance. If you saw the Season 4 finale, you know that Olivia was shot in the forehead and died. It's impossible to explain without laying out four years of storyline, but she had to die in order to save the universe from a destructive energy radiating from her. After she died, the bullet was removed and she came back to life.

It was definitely (somewhat intentionally I suspect) a type of the death of Jesus and how it has redeemed and saved our universe. Especially since she was able to come back from the dead having accomplished her purpose.

So the interesting thing to me was this: here we are, 20+ years later. The original threat is gone, but the world still needs healing in a big way. And here is her daughter, holding on to the bullet, connected to a chain, worn as jewelry. Do you see where I'm going? The bullet is to the Fringe story what the cross is to our story. A bullet is a hideous thing, an instrument of death. But because of its significance, this bullet is worn as jewelry. Exactly like the crosses we wear around our necks.

Listen to Michael W. Smith on the subject:

What is your line?

Why do you wear your cross of gold?

Does it find a way into your soul? 

REPEAT SPOILER ALERT! Major plot point ahead!

For Etta and her mother's bullet, it did find a way into her soul - it drove everything she did her whole life, up until a moment when she met up with her own bullet. A bullet that, I believe, will turn out to be the bullet that saves the world from the new threat. (Such a wonderful title to the episode, with multiple meanings - love that!)

Will you and I (like Etta) each take up our own respective crosses? Or will we just wear them around our necks?