What Burning Man Taught Me About the Kingdom of God

I never expected Burning Man to teach me about the Kingdom of God.

But it has.

I've prayed with people in a dust storm, talked about Jesus over a shared meal , and worshiped through drums and dancing.

Burning Man is NOT the Kingdom of God, but Jesus describes His Kingdom as something both hidden and expansive. It is a mustard seed that begins tiny and becomes a tree. It is yeast quietly working through dough. It is a treasure hidden in a field. (Matthew 13:31–33, 44)

Burning Man has taught me to look for those hidden places—and to trust that God is already there and moving!

The Kingdom Is Creative

At Burning Man, creativity is everywhere. People spend months creating enormous works of art that may exist for only a few days, and I've watched that beauty open conversations about God with people who might never walk into a church.

One night, I climbed a tower made of scaffolding and glow in the dark hammock nets. At the top, I met a girl, and together we looked out over the Playa in awe.

Below us was a moving canvas of light—art cars, bikes, installations, and thousands of people, each contributing something to the larger picture.

I asked her about a time when she felt like she was a small part of something beautiful and bigger than herself.

Then I shared what the view made me think about:

"As in one body we have many parts... so we, though many, are one body in Christ." -  Romans 12:4–5

I shared how I don't always know how my little thread is contributing to the greater canvas. But my walk with the Creator helps me trust that I belong to something bigger and more beautiful than just myself.

That night, a piece of art became an opportunity to talk with a stranger about belonging to the family of God and trusting our lives matter in the hands of the Grand Designer. 

That feels a lot like the Kingdom.

The Kingdom Is Playful

For a long time, I quietly assumed becoming holy meant becoming more pious.

One night at Burning Man, our group discovered an installation with three enormous swings, at least two stories high.

As I approached, I felt a spiritual heaviness and hesitated.

Then I remembered, we are children of God, and children play.

So I got on the swing.

I swung higher and higher, laughing as the desert wind rushed past me. Soon our whole group was swinging, laughing, and playing.

And the atmosphere changed. People joined us. We swung, laughed, and made friends.

Jesus says: "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."- Matthew 18:3

Sometimes the Kingdom looks like the children of God remembering how to play.

The Kingdom Is a Feast

Making friends on the swings turned into our new friends accepting a dinner invitation.

Some of my favorite Burning Man memories involve meals, laughter, and people who started the night as strangers sitting around a table together.

That sounds surprisingly similar to the way Jesus talks about His Kingdom.

"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son."- Matthew 22:2

Jesus repeatedly uses the image of a feast. When the prodigal son comes home, the father says, "Let us eat and celebrate." (Luke 15:23) Jesus' first miracle happens at a wedding. (John 2:1-11.) Scripture ends with the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

Christianity includes sacrifice and the Cross.

But we're headed toward a feast.

The Kingdom Is Already Here

Perhaps the biggest thing Burning Man has taught me is this: God was there before I arrived.

I don't bring Jesus to Burning Man. He already loves every person there more than I ever could. My job is to pay attention to what He's already doing.

I like asking Burners, "What's your intention for your burn?"

I've heard:

"I am here to encounter the divine."

"Spiritual renewal. Burning Man is my annual retreat."

"Spiritual transformation."

Jesus' first announcement of His ministry was: "The kingdom of God is at hand." — Mark 1:15

God has already drawn near.

We don't have to discover our identity in the stars because the Father calls us His children: "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God." (1 John 3:1)

We don't have to search for hidden knowledge to find our way. God gives us His Spirit—"a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength." (Isaiah 11:2)

We don’t have to get our chakras aligned or seek a reiki healer, by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

We don't have to manufacture an encounter with the divine. In Jesus, God has come looking for us.

God is already at Burning Man.

People are already searching.

The Kingdom starts small.

But God grows it.

And even at a pagan festival, the Kingdom of God is at hand.