"What Would Jesus ______?"
The question / theme behind Imagine '24, this year's arts fest @ MW Church
(The above is an AI-generated image in response to the prompt “What would Jesus dance?” 🤦♂️)
When I was growing up, I read a book that was published about a century before my time. In His Steps is a story of a small town pastor who challenges his church to not do anything for a whole year without first stopping, waiting, and asking the question: “What would Jesus do?” Not-so-coincidentally, when I was a teenager, there was a fad that quickly swept the world simply known as the WWJD bracelet. What may have begun as a deep & searching question became dollar-store merchandise. That doesn’t make the question less meaningful, though it may have rendered it less valuable.
Of course, most people would be inclined to consider the above question in moral terms. WWJD becomes “How would Jesus respond to the person who just cut me off in traffic?”, or “What would Jesus do with this paycheck?”, or even “How would Jesus behave ‘romantically’ if He were in the kind of relationship I’m in?”. But as an artist, as a creative, I wonder…
What would Jesus…
…draw?
…sing?
…dance?
…write?
…recite?
…sculpt?
…build?
“Would Jesus ‘do’ anything when it comes to creativity?”, you might ask. It may seem like a silly question, but according to the texts of the New Testament, Jesus was something like a carpenter or a craftsman. What types of artefacts would Jesus have been inclined to produce? Do you suppose aesthetics mattered, or was usefulness His only metric? Where might He come down on the “function —> form” debate? Certainly, we don’t remember Jesus for His chairs or tables, but we do often remember Him for His storytelling. The parables of Jesus are intentionally crafted tales. Do they exist purely for didactic reasons (for their “morals”), or were there stylistic or affective considerations at play? What’s more, could Jesus be considered an orator, or even a performer? He’s remembered for having audibly delivered some significantly impactful content via public address (the Sermon on the Mount being the prime but not sole example). Was Jesus an “artist”?
Maybe these questions are enough to make you wonder about whether or not Jesus could have been considered an artist. Maybe not. Either way, a further question remains:
Does Jesus care about art? Does He care about artists?
During this year’s installation of Imagine, we hope to be able to explore these questions, along with many others. If you are an artist and are interested in submitting some work for consideration, please know that the theme is more of a “conversation starter” for those who are looking for a creative prompt to get their juices flowing. We as a team are open to considering any & all art submitted, regardless of its connection to such questions. It will be enlightening (if not also uncomfortable) to consider each piece submitted in light of the question:
Would Jesus create this?
(*to submit work for consideration for Imagine ‘24, please visit mw.church/imagine*)