Why I Love "Your Mother"

I recently caught up on season 4 of How I Met Your Mother. I love this sitcom in a way that I have loved no other sitcom before. And I think there are a few things we can learn from it.

1. Have an overarching narrative. What keeps HIMYM from being a rehash of Cheers, Friends and Scrubs, is how the entire show is framed in an overarching narrative. The story is building and the characters are changing. In Churches, it's easy to get lost in teaching "biblical principles," and forget that we are part of the great drama of all time. In our own lives, it's easy to get caught in the day to day hassles, and forget where we're headed.
2. Culture views sex as a commodity. The two most common commodities in HIMYM are sex and alcohol. Episodes revolve around one character sleeping with the other. Sex is something that is bartered, that has little value. An entire episode is built around insulting Marshall for believing that sex should be tied into love. Sex's utter lack of sanctity and value is ironic, since the show is based on Ted's search for true love.
3. Flaws increase authenticity. The characters are very flawed. Lilly is a compulsive spender and Barney is arrogant. But it's their flaws that make them seem more like people I know than characters on TV.
   
4. Friends are the new family. The five friends are so close that they refer to each other as brother and sister. The American family has changed, and how we reach that family, and surround them in Christian community must change as well.