Children's Story: Light Box

Props: Several cameras of different shapes, sizes, vintage, technologies, etc. (I used a digital SLR, digital point-and-shoot, and a film rangefinder.)

Outline

• Pull out the cameras and show each one in turn. Briefly describe each one. Emphasize that although they may look different and may operate differently, they are all cameras.
• Ask, "What is the name used for the process of creating images with a camera?" (Answer: Photography)
• Ask, "What is the definition of photography? What are the meanings of the roots that make up photograph?" (Answer: photo from the Greek phos, meaning "light," and graphis or graphe, meaning "paintbrush" or "drawing." Photography is "painting with light" or "drawing with light.")
• Ask, "What is the critical thing needed to make a photograph?" (Answer: Light.)
• Emphasize the necessity of having light in order to expose the film or collecting light on a digital sensor's photocells.
• Point to the cameras and note that even though they are all different, the one thing common across all of them are that they are light boxes -- boxes to collect and focus the light and create a image that represents something in the real world.
• Now note that even in abundant light, a camera just sitting there won't make an image by itself. Ask what needs to be done. (Answer: The shutter must be released.)
• Describe how the shutter opens to let light shine on the film or on a digital SLR, the digital sensor. (On digital point and shoots, tripping the shutter engages the electronics and software that reads the information off the sensor and records it on the memory card.) In either case, the act of releasing the shutter causes the camera to make a record of the light.
• "Jesus said that he is the light of the world. The Bible tells us that God wants us to reflect Jesus' image. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to do that. But there is one thing that we must do. What is it?" (Answer: Open the eyes, or shutter, or our hearts to let the light in.)
• "When we let Jesus shine in our hearts, our hearts begin to record Jesus' image."
• Describe how the very first cameras had to use very long exposures because the film wasn't very sensitive. Make connection to how our hearts are more like that, where they need to be exposed to Jesus for a lifetime -- a one-time sermon or reading a few minutes from the Bible isn't enough to create much of an image.
• Also note what happens if the camera moves during a long exposure. (The image blurs.) Make connection to how we might get distracted and impatient while we wait for Jesus' image to form in our hearts. When we do, the image gets fuzzy. But we can correct that by refocusing our hearts back to Jesus.
• Once again, point to the cameras and note the different sizes, shapes, features, technologies, age, etc. Connect this to how we are all different (ages, shapes, sizes, families, backgrounds, talents, abilities, interests, etc.)
• Despite our differences, our purpose is the same -- to form an image of Jesus inside our hearts.
• "If I took a picture of a flower with each of these cameras, each one will probably look a little different. But you should be able to clearly see that they are pictures of the same flower. Likewise, the way the image of Jesus that is forming in each of our hearts will probably look different from one another. But people who see us should be able to tell that is it still the image of Jesus, God's love, that is forming in our hearts."
• "If we want to reproduce God's love, Jesus' image, in our hearts, there is just one way: Keep the eyes of our hearts open, let Jesus' light shine in, keep our eyes focused and pointed on Jesus, the light of the world."
• Open the Eyes of My Heart would be an appropriate song to sing at the close.