Crossing the First Threshold

As humans, we love stories. We ask for them all the time. "Tell me about your day," or "What's wrong?" are invitations for others to tell us stories. In a sense, we live stories to later tell. The life of Jesus is the perfect Story, and I believe the Original Story from which all other stories flow. By "perfect" I mean that it follows the same patterns that Hollywood screenwriters have boiled down to a science, and that folklorists use to untangle fairytales. I don't believe that this is a coincidence.

Crossing the First Threshold

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.

Luke 4:1-2

       After meeting with the Mentor and finally accepting the Call to Adventure, the Hero must leave the Ordinary World and enter the Special World. Doing so means crossing a clear line from one world to the next. The Fellowship of the Ring shows it beautifully. When Frodo and Sam are leaving the Shire, the countryside actually changes color as Sam pauses and says, "If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been." In screenwriting terms, this marks the end of act one.
       Crossing the First Threshold can take a moment, just a beat of acknowledgment, or several minutes, depending of the needs of the story. Sometimes we'll see another archetype: the Threshold Guardian. In the nearly forgotten fantasy film Stardust, the threshold is a literal wall, and the Threshold Guardian is a literal guard. Getting past him and into the Special World requires effort and cunning. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily, and our heroes must earn every step. Even Sam's reluctance to leave the Shire acts as its own sort of the Threshold Guardian.

Meeting with the Mentor

      God created everything, tangible and intangible. God created Story just as carefully as he created gravity. And like the laws of physics, Story has rules that define it. We often talk about "the story of Christ." It's not an inaccurate thing to say. The life of Jesus follows the rules of Story in all the dramatic glory of a summer action movie. Why? Well, if God came first, and Story came second, I believe that Story was made to reflect the path God had outlined for his son, to forever and constantly remind of us of his work.

Meeting with the Mentor

A voice cries;

"In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Isaiah 40:3

       Before heading off into adventure, the hero needs to gather supplies and information. In The Wizard of Oz Dorothy meets Glinda, who provides her with the magic slippers and the information she needs to find the wizard. In Star Wars, Obi Wan gives Luke his father's lightsaber (which Google tells me is one word, and that's awesome), some family history, and direction for the path he must take. At this point, the hero is still becoming who he or she is meant to be. The mentor is there to help get the hero started down the path.      

Refusal of the Call

       From ancient times, to today's summer blockbusters, stories have always followed a certain pattern. It's this pattern that makes a story different from a recipe or an essay. These story beats also, interestingly enough, parallel the life of Jesus. If one believes that God planned every moment in all lives from before the beginning of time, it's not a stretch to believe that rather than the life Jesus following the principles of Story, it is Story that reflects the journey of Jesus Christ.

Refusal of the Call

"My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me..."

Matthew 26:39

       We know where our hero lives in his Ordinary World, and how he makes due with the life he has. We see an opportunity, a Call to Adventure, come her way. Sometimes (often in movie sequels) the hero simply accepts the call, saddles the horse, and hits the trail. But typically there's some reluctance to move. "Sure," Luke tells Obi Wan, "there's a princess to rescue. But I have to stay with my aunt and uncle." 

     

The Call to Adventure

Our stories are what bring us together, either the telling of past experiences or living new ones that will turn into stories later. Through narrative we find connection with the people we care about. I believe that when God was deciding how he would connect with us, he created this thing called Story. God ordered it in such a way that the narrative form would reflect the story of his Son, Jesus. I see the parallels, and to me this is proof that God exists.

Modern story structure identifies 12 steps. Each step builds on the momentum of the last. In the Ordinary World the story is at a standstill. Where the train starts to slowly leave the station and build up speed is:

The Call to Adventure

I stand at the door and knock…

Revelation 3:20

There’s little to no conflict in the Ordinary World. Something has to change, and that something is the Call to Adventure. An old enemy comes asking for help. There’s a distress signal from a distant planet. A loved one across the country has passed away. Perhaps it’s something good, like news of a contest our hero knows she can win. No matter what form the call takes, the hero is presented with a situation only ignored at great risk.

In the movie Taken (which is so formulaic the page numbers nearly appear on the screen), it’s a literal phone call.