— Matthew 28:20
I have met an assortment of people since I started taking photographs of McGregor street life. In fact, some have become serious players in my photographic ministry. Since the release of “Gentry’s Resurrected Christ” I began to consider a new work, featuring the same model reprising his role. This time, the goal was to set Christ down into our own context.
What would really it look like to see Christ walking among us today, engaged in the daily activities of our modern world? We are so accustomed to images of Jesus in his own first century, Middle Eastern setting. This, however, can make him seemed removed—as if he has nothing to do with our lives today. Yet, Christ promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age.
So we decided to “picture Jesus” doing everyday things. We dressed our model in full alb, and had him take on the character of Christ and then go about his daily errands. Naturally, this caused a bit of a spectacle for friends and strangers alike. The reactions elicited just the type of response I would hope for: they raised questions. The street sightings of this Jesus-looking guy gave way to a religious dialogue that people did not intend to have, but couldn’t resist the temptation to join in and add their “two cents.”
Our imagining of Jesus in our modern world invites contemplation of how we perceive Christ among us today. Do we sense his presence with us? Do we accept his humanity or does it offend? Are we pleased to welcome Jesus or are we surprised and even upset when he shows up, unannounced, at our place of business? Are we eager to serve him by serving "the least of these" as described in Matthew 25? And finally, what is our response when we have an encounter with Christ?
Please click here to visit the growing "Christ Among Us" gallery.
So we decided to “picture Jesus” doing everyday things. We dressed our model in full alb, and had him take on the character of Christ and then go about his daily errands. Naturally, this caused a bit of a spectacle for friends and strangers alike. The reactions elicited just the type of response I would hope for: they raised questions. The street sightings of this Jesus-looking guy gave way to a religious dialogue that people did not intend to have, but couldn’t resist the temptation to join in and add their “two cents.”
Our imagining of Jesus in our modern world invites contemplation of how we perceive Christ among us today. Do we sense his presence with us? Do we accept his humanity or does it offend? Are we pleased to welcome Jesus or are we surprised and even upset when he shows up, unannounced, at our place of business? Are we eager to serve him by serving "the least of these" as described in Matthew 25? And finally, what is our response when we have an encounter with Christ?Please click here to visit the growing "Christ Among Us" gallery.
—William Gentry
