Approach

Before Jesus' death and resurrection, the only way to connect with God was through the Law, a set of rules defining how God would interact with his chosen people. Jesus came to restore the relationship between God and man, opening it up to all people. The prophets had told his story from ancient times, and in Jesus the story was lived out perfectly. The Law was a checklist. Jesus checked every box. The Law was impersonal. Story, by its nature, is personal. Jesus, as we are beginning to see, lived the perfect Story, the patterns of which echo through every tall tale, legend, and film. God builds a relationship with us through his creation, Story.

Approach

"I and the Father are one."

John 10:30

       Once the Hero has gathered her resources from the Mentor, overcome the First Threshold and its Guardian, and determined her Allies, she finds herself in a place of greater conflict. Without conflict, there is no story, and every narrative must gradually raise the stakes to keep the audience invested. This is usually a point where the Hero and his friends are experiencing some success, even as the dangers increase. Yes, it's hard, but they're getting there. As they Approach the major conflict, the Hero and company begin to learn just how capable they are.
       In the early 2000's classic A Knight's Tale, we see William determining his strengths. While he is more skilled with the sword, he desires the fame that comes with the joust and works to improve himself even if it kills him. This is also the moment where he meets Jocelyn, who fulfills the archetype of the Love Interest. Her presence, while serving to make his life more difficult (if not downright miserable), also forces the Hero to become a truer version of himself. In order to fulfill his quest, he will need to be brought down to his essence. The challenges William faces in the arena and interacting with Jocelyn are part of the process of purification so that William is established in his identity.
       The Gospel of Matthew tells us that after gathering his disciples, Jesus began his ministry. "And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people." Ever since the relationship between God and man was broken in the Garden of Eden, law and religion were the only ways to connect with God. The ministry of Jesus was not just to clear a path to heaven, it was to repair the broken relationship. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Even a quick look at the ancient descriptions of the Messiah show that Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy.
       Jesus was also very clear about establishing his identity. The gospel writer John tells us that, "The Jews gathered around him and said to him, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
       How is your present situation establishing your identity? For the Christian, the Apostle Paul sets the example when he says, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." If we are still making up our minds about Jesus, we must ask ourselves who was he? He could not have been both a great moral teacher and a man who flagrantly lied about being God. Was he crazy? Or was he exactly who he said he was?

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

I John 3:1

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Jesus existed. We know this. His story was written and distributed while people who could have refuted it were still alive. Yet they didn't. The timeline simply does not permit Jesus to be a myth or legend. Nevertheless, the story of Jesus follows the same rhythms and structure of every story ever told. Why? Because the story of Jesus, the story of the Gospel, is the one truth myth.         

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Matthew 4:19

       Once the Hero has defeated the Threshold Guardian and entered the Special World, he finds himself in unfamiliar territory. There are new challenges and she can't face them alone. This is the time when our hero begins to shape and grow, to really show just what he's made of. In screenwriting terms, this step marks the start of act two, which takes up roughly half of the movie. 

       

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.

The Ordinary World

I can’t prove it, but I think that when God was deciding that heat would rise and that minor keys would sound sad, he defined some rules for Story. These are things that make a Story different from any other assemblage of words and ideas. And when he set the rules of Story, he designed them to parallel the  life of his son, Jesus Christ. Now, every time I look closely at a movie I see things that reflect the One True Story.

Modern story structure identifies 12 steps. I thought it might be interesting to reflect on the Gospel through the lens of Story, starting with:

The Ordinary World

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1