Take away 👉 Christmas reveals our two fold purpose: 1) to receive the shame destroying presence of God in Christ and 2) to show up for others with that same shame destroying presence.

Al Pacino’s “Save the Cat” Moment

In storytelling, there’s a concept called a “save the cat” moment. According to screenwriter Blake Snyder, it’s an opening scene, mostly in movies, where a hero does something that makes the audience willing to go on the journey with them.

Snyder gives an example of “save the cat” from the film Sea of Love. Al Pacino plays a cool cop who planned a sting. The sting involved inviting parole violators to a “Yankees breakfast.” At the door the parolees showed their invitations and I.D.’s then they got to meet the Yankees. Only Pacino took them to jail.

There is nothing about Pacino’s character so far that makes an audience want to go on a journey with him.

As Pacino is leaving, a late parole violator, Ernest along with his young son, ran up to Pacino’s car. Ernest is waving his invitation begging to be let into the Yankee’s breakfast. Seeing the young son, Pacino tells Ernest they’re booked and he missed the event.

Ernest persists, saying his son has to meet the Yankees, Pacino quickly flashes his badge to let Ernest know this event wasn’t what he thought. As the distraught, yet relieved father is walking away, Pacino yells to him, one of the coolest lines in cinema, “Catch you later, Ernest!”

That is a classic save the cat moment. Pacino catches criminals, but he’s has a heart. This tension makes us willing to hear Pacino’s story. Maybe we’ll learn something about how to live in the tension of caring about people and doing the right thing.

Jesus’ save the cat moment

What’s Jesus’ save the cat moment? What does Jesus do that makes us willing to go on a journey with him?

He takes our shame.

Jesus’ biographer Luke, tells us that Jesus was born in a manger. Because “there was no room for [Mary, Joseph and Jesus] in an inn.” Luke’s word choice used for “inn” is unusual. I’m persuaded it would be better translated “guest room.”

I do not believe Mary and Joseph were rejected by a random inn keeper. I believe Joseph came to his home town, he knocked on the door of a family member.

Joseph: “Hey Uncle Jeremiah! We’re here for the census. Can we stay in your guest room?”

Uncle Jeremiah: “Joseph! Of course. Oh Hi Mary, I didn’t see you there.”

Uncle Jeremiah sees Mary’s pregnant belly…

“There’s no place for you here.”

Door Slams. The family is left to fend for themselves. Shame.

Jesus doesn’t understand facts about shame, he experienced shame. The king of kings felt unwanted. The very thing we fear: rejection, shame, and isolation welcomes Jesus to our world.

That is Jesus’ “save the cat” moment. God is entering our world to destroy the shame that keeps us isolated from God and others. And he does so by becoming a shame. He says “You can put the shame on me.”

He does this because he’s on our side. We find our purpose by receiving this God who is willing to come into our world to rescue us. His name is his mission, Jesus: Yahweh saves.

Seeing Other’s Shame

As we receive the God who takes away our shame, we turn to others. If Jesus’s coming destroys our shame and says “I’m here with you,” how then should we relate to each other?

Others who during Christmas feel shame because:

• They don’t get invited to family parties and begin to believe they are the problem
• They can’t afford to travel home for Christmas
• They are single and feel like an outsider when invited to parties with couples and families
• They say no to gatherings to protect boundaries but feel selfish and ungrateful
• Their husband died and holidays remind them they are alone

When we see shame in others we are able to say, “There’s room for you here.” We can say that because Jesus heard the opposite. When he took our shame, shame lost its power. Now our shame doesn’t threaten to destroy us anymore. He’s here.

Losing Shame is a Gift

Christmas does not just give us a reason to give gifts. Christmas gives us the gift of a savior who takes our shame. Do we still feel shame? Of course! But it’s an old story. It has no power over us anymore.

Our purpose is found in receiving from God and showing up for others just as Jesus showed up for us. When we understand his arrival as a “save the cat” moment, we see that God’s purpose for us is to become bearers of that same shame destroying presence to the people around us.