Paper or Plastic?

Trash, discarded on the street just waiting for another gust of wind to move it somewhere else, hopefully out of sight. That is until the bag springs to life and takes the shape of an animal on the streets of New York.

Joshua Harris (no, not that one) is a street artist who takes plastic trash bags and makes all kinds of fantastic creatures out of them. However, they only come to life over subway grates when a train passes by and enough air shoots up to fill the bags.

This brings to mind verses like Genesis 2:7

"Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

Or Job 12:10

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

A lesson on God's redeeming work in Christ Jesus with your youth or family group could involve collecting as many plastic bags as possible some afternoon and then hosting an art project night. I know behind the mall in our town there is a sea of plastic bags that get caught on the topless corn stalk roots. This activity would allow you to not only care for creation by cleaning up part of it, but also redeem that which has been thrown away by giving it new life.

You could use this clip from the movie "American Beauty," as an intro to talk about how God continues to breathe life into everything. There is also a great quote from that clip about the importance of remembering, which is the essence of theology and foundational to all faith and life.

Another fun clip is the work of Theo Jansen who makes kinetic sculptures that only move if the wind happens to be blowing strong enough. Both Theo and Joshua's work would look like heaps of garbage without the air that gives them breath and life. These verses from Psalms 39, 62, 104, and 144 talk about how fragile life is and that we too would surely die if God were to take back the breath we were given.

I also have an earlier post from a ski retreat with other breath related games and bible verses that could be used as well.

The creations you make with your group don't have to be as intricate as Joshua's, they could be as simple as making silly costumes or using them to cover other discarded objects, thus giving them a fresh look. An entire lesson about Jesus breathing on the disciples and filling them with the Holy Spirit could also be incorporated.

Psalm 150:6 - "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD."