The stories we tell shape who we are. Stories of courage, kindness, and selfless acts on behalf of others inspire people to take good actions. Tales that justify greed and corruption on the way to fame and fortune encourage that behavior. So, I was delighted to read that the "Reality TV" bubble is bursting. There is a 57 percent annual decline in production of shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and "Say Yes to the Dress." Compared to five years ago, pre-COVID, only half as many reality TV shows are being produced. That is excellent news if Americans give up watching TV where people try to get attention for shallow, greedy, and bad behavior. No corresponding research shows Americans are reading Nobel Prize-winning novels instead. Maybe people have just migrated to TikTok instead and are watching dance routines and cat videos, but that is a step up.  (If you have a favorite reality show, I doubt it’s making you a bad person. Quantity matters!)

The idea behind reality TV was that if you take ordinary people who are not trained as actors and put them in a situation with no script, the outcome would be interesting and authentic. In the show "Survivor," people are on an island, subject to various mental and physical challenges, and each week, they vote one of their own off the island. It encouraged people to develop alliances and betray each other to win, normalizing this group dynamic. The storyline to the viewer becomes there is not enough for everyone, so do what is necessary to get yours. "The Apprentice" followed a similar psychology and created an atmosphere where only the most aggressive and ruthless people could succeed in business. If you grew up watching that show, you might think these staged TV situations are like real life in the business world. (I've heard the show's star still thinks it's real and is trying to fire people.)

Many reality shows reinforce the worst stereotypes. Real Housewives shows women as catty, materialistic, and obsessed with status and appearance. Shows like "Yes to the Dress" create a climate where people have started to turn their wedding into a destination event and are produced as tightly as a TV show. I'm delighted there is now some pushback. People are burning out on reality TV and saying "Yes" to the simple wedding and “no” to the cut-throat work environments. It's possible that COVID isolation and making our own sourdough caused people to reflect on what makes for a good life, and "Love Island" and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" are not it. Maybe life is more like the "Great British Bakeoff" or "Home Makeovers." At least something is made at the end. 

I'm hoping we are choosing better stories to live by. Jesus told many stories. He told parables like the forgiving father who welcomed his prodigal son and a brother who struggled to accept this. Or the story of a Samaritan considered an enemy, who acted justly and saved a man beaten beside the road. Jesus' theology is much more about stories than abstract principles. 

But some of the stories get a little wild and crazy, like this reading about the demon-possessed man in Luke's Gospel. For those of us on the Maine coast, it is significant to note this story begins with sailing. Many great tales start this way: Homer's epic Odyssey, Gulliver's Travels, The Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island, and Moby Dick. This sail takes Jesus into the Gentile region of Genaseres, a Greco-Roman town in modern-day Jordan. It is the first move into Gentile territory in Luke's Gospel. Remember that Luke was a gentile who followed Jesus, and he wrote the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where Jesus' message spread around the Mediterranean. This voyage is the first foreshadowing of direction. 

The first character Jesus meets brings him a challenge worthy of Odysseus or Jason and the Argonauts. This man is so tormented that he can't wear clothes and lives among the tombs, and when people try to restrain him with chains, he breaks them and runs into the wilderness. Ancient people had no other way to describe him than to say demons possessed him. Forces beyond understanding control him, and it is terrifying to the people around him. 

But the man fears Jesus and confronts him. "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." Interestingly, this tormented man knows who Jesus is, but no one else has identified Jesus this way yet. Peter naming Jesus the Messiah isn't until Luke's next chapter. Those who are broken and distraught may recognize Jesus more than solid church folks. 

This situation could move sideways quickly, but Jesus de-escalates things by asking the man's name. Would that be your first impulse, or would you avoid the problem by just keeping it moving? Asking for a name is an invitation to be known. Rather than fight or flight, Jesus invites the man to say who he is. "Legion," the man answers. Legion is a Roman military term for a division of about 5000 soldiers. The Legions were the heavy infantry and greatly feared as they projected Roman power worldwide. Perhaps this man had seen them in action, either as a soldier or he had seen some poor city crushed. Certainly, PTSD might explain his distress. Or the name may express the magnitude of his inward despair. I am Legion; I have a multitude of co-occurring diagnoses. I take Lexapro, Thorazine, and Trazadone to sleep, and I have a thyroid condition, and it's all just so much. 

Whatever holds of this man, whether it is psychological, physical, or demonic, he realizes that Jesus won't let the status quo stand. Rather than be destroyed or cast out, the demons ask to go into a herd of pigs. When granted this request, the herd plunges over the abyss to their death. I missed this chapter in seminary about expelling demons, and as fascinating as it is, I can't explain it. We know Jews didn't raise pigs, and this might be a hilarious moment as they rush over the cliff. It might mean that evil creates its destruction. But the end of the story is that people come from the town, and you might think they would ask Jesus to heal their sickness and teach them and stay for a while. Instead, the local pork producer's council and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals come to Jesus and say, "You have got to leave. We were fine with our demons and our pigs, and you need to go back to where you came from."

I wonder if they went home and turned on "Survivor" or Real Housewives of Rome. They were more comfortable with the "reality stories" of how life works than with the transformative story of a tormented man finding liberation and hope. Reality TV stories tell us a comforting but disempowering story. You don't need to change to have what you want. All you need is a lucky break. If you are willing to be a little sassy and scheming and get the right people's attention, you can find fame and fortune. You don't have to change or be transformed; you just stay as you are and watch for your break, then be bold enough to seize the day. 

No wonder reality TV is collapsing. These stories don't hold weight. The greatest stories have character development, struggle, and transformation that lead to a new way of being. This is the opportunity Jesus offers. We don’t have to live in torment. Nor do we need to fear change. We are brought into the sacred story of hope and wholeness. We don’t need a lucky break or a better scheme, but to know that God is near, and we are loved. 

At the end of this scripture, the man once known as Legion begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus has a different path for him, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." This charge from Jesus makes this man the first to share the good news to Gentiles beyond Israel. The most important thing he has to offer the world is his sacred story. It is one of the best of classic plots; from lost to found, from brokenness to wholeness, from isolation and loneliness to connectedness and community. This story invites everyone to reflect, if this man can find new life, then surely, I can too.

If you don’t like the story you are living in right now, here is the good news. There are better stories to live by than reality TV. God offers to ground us in a new reality, a reality where love is the most powerful force in our lives. Your flaws and shortcomings are not your destiny. They are the starting point of a new chapter, and bring you to become a part of God’s sacred story. Where will your story go from here today?