Abingdon Youth

Lost Season Four Study: Episode 5, "The Constant"

By Benjamin Kendrick

This season iLeadYouth.com will provide a free Bible study for each episode of the popular TV drama Lost. This week we look at the episode "The Constant," which aired on February 28.

Episode Information
Sayid and Desmond hit some turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects.

Overall Episode Discussion Theme
“The Constant” deals with Desmond’s search for an anchor, a consistency between his past and present. In this particular lesson we will focus on him as we look at our constant, God.

New Characters

Keamy: freighter crew, on freighter

Omar: freighter crew, on freighter

George Minkowski: freighter crew, on freighter

Freighter Doctor: freighter crew, on freighter

Key Show Facts

About to arrive at the freighter, Desmond flashes to a time he spent in the military. When his consciousness returns to the present he is confused and panics.

Desmond is placed in the sickbay of the freighter where another man, George Minkowski, the communications officer on the ship, is having a similar experience.

Sayid contacts Daniel on the island and explains Desmond’s behavior. Daniel instructs Desmond, the next time he has one of these episodes, to find Daniel at Oxford and give him a message.

Convinced by Desmond’s message, the 1996 Daniel explains that Desmond has become unstuck in time and needs to find an anchor, a constant, in both the times.

Desmond finds Penelope Widmore, who recently moved, and explains that he needs her new phone number, so that he can call her eight years later. In an effort to get Desmond out of her home, she complies.

As Desmond returns to the present, Sayid has completed the repair of the communications equipment in time for Desmond to call Penelope, successfully assisting him in finding his constant.

On the island, Daniel flips through his journal, landing on a page, “If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant.”

The Lesson

Opening Debrief
To begin, use the bullet points above to give an overview of the episode. Ask youth who saw the episode to fill in the gaps for youth who may have missed all or part of last week’s show. Invite the youth to discuss their favorite moments and anything that let them down. Then use these questions to prompt discussion:

Who sabotaged the radio room? Might it be the same person as “Ben’s man on the boat”? Might it be the person that opened the sickbay door?

What did Daniel mean by, “Your perception of how long your friends have been gone—it’s not necessarily how long they’ve actually been gone?” What does this comment say about the concept of time on the island?

If you were to plan a lesson based on last week’s show, what would you focus on?

Scripture Intersection
Daniel Faraday helps a confused Desmond interpret his “dreams”. In the Bible the prophet Daniel is famous for his gift of dream interpretation.

Read 2 Timothy 3:1-4 (THE MESSAGE)*
Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people.

Ask:

What does this Scripture say to you? What is the main theme or point of this passage?

How does this Scripture relate to what happened in this week’s episode of Lost?

Clip 1: “I need you to find me.”
15:40–18:14 (See note.)

Section Topic: defining constant and looking at constants in our world

Ask:

What words come to mind when you hear the word constant?

From The American Heritage Dictionary via Dictionary.com:
con·stant—noun, adjective
adjective
1. Continually occurring; persistent.
2. Regularly recurring.
3. Unchanging in nature, value, or extent; invariable.
4. Steadfast in purpose, loyalty, or affection; faithful.
noun
1. Something that is unchanging or invariable.
2. a. A quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context. b. An experimental or theoretical condition, factor, or quantity that does not vary or that is regarded as invariant in specified circumstances.

Say: "In this clip Desmond struggles with uncertainty. According to many of these definitions, a constant (or something that is constant) is a remedy to uncertainty."

Ask:

What are some constants in our culture?

Which of these constants have a positive impact on society? Which have a negative impact?

Clip 2: “You have no constant.”
25:00–27:35

Section Topic: the need for stability in our lives

Say: "In this clip Daniel and Desmond discuss the importance of having an anchor, something constant to care about." Have everyone select a character from Lost. For each character, ask:

Who or what is this person's anchor? Why?

Then ask:

Why do we need consistency in our lives?

How would you feel living in a world where everything was continuously different and new, where there was nothing familiar? What would be enjoyable about such a world? What would be difficult?

When, in your life, have you felt as though you had no consistency? How did you feel? Whom or what did you go to for comfort?

Clip 3: “I hope she’s there.”
37:50–41:30

Section Topic: God is our constant.

Say: "In this clip Desmond needs a constant. And his life hangs on the end of a telephone call." Ask:

Where or to whom can we, as Christians, turn when we need a reliable constant?

Read Psalm 91:14-16.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble;
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

Ask:

How does this Scripture add to our discussion?

In what ways is God the ultimate constant in our lives?

How does God care for us?

What does God ask for in return? How can we be sure to honor this request?

What does this episode teach us about looking to God as a constant?

Devotional Activity
Materials needed: slips of paper and pens or pencils

Say: "In this episode we followed Desmond as he anxiously searched for a constant in his life. But as Christians we already have a constant in our lives: God."

Gather everyone in a circle. Read aloud Isaiah 45:5-8:
I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,
so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the LORD do all these things.
Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,
and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
I the LORD have created it.

Then ask the group to spend a couple minutes silently reflecting on the question, "How is God a constant in your life?"

After a couple minutes, invite the youth to write their answers to this question on a slip of paper. Invite volunteers to read aloud their answers. Encourage the youth to keep their slips of paper with them, perhaps in a wallet or purse or in their Bibles. Ask a volunteer to read aloud Psalm 91:14-16 as a closing prayer.

Further Speculation:

Is the radiation from Daniel’s purple light the reason he has difficulty with his memory?

Did Desmond’s flashes actually change time? Is that why Penelope answered? Is that why Daniel had written in his journal, “If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant”?

Lost Season Four Bible Studies: Introduction
Lost Season 4 Study: Episode 1, "The Beginning of the End"
Lost Season 4 Study: Episode 2, "Confirmed Dead"
Lost Season 4 Study: Episode 3, "The Economist"
Lost Season 4 Study: Episode 4, "Eggtown"

Curriculum written and prepared by Benjamin Kendrick and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Note: Clip times refer to episodes presented without commercials, such as those purchase on iTunes or on DVD.