What I thought about when I thought about God at the arts and jazz festival
I went to an arts and jazz festival a few weekends ago and it was amazing. It had the kind of food that you tell people about for years (âI had Alaskan reindeer sausage one timeâŚâ). It had the kind of music that hits you in the soul (if youâve never heard the tune âHip Picklesâ you know what to do as soon as youâre done reading this). As I sat underneath the shade of an oak tree, in the warmth an early Texas spring, enjoying all this fantastic artistic creativity, I noticed that I was surrounded by all kinds of different people.
 Some of them had long hair on one side of their head and short hair on the other. Others had more hair coming out of their ears than on their head. Some had tattoos on their necks and some had piercings through their noses. A few looked like they were from the IT department and had come to take a look at your modem. Some were up dancing and others were lying down on blankets on the grass. One guy had at least half a dozen empty bottles of Shiner Bock under his chair before the sun had set.
 When I take the time to notice all the people around me, Iâm reminded of how creative God is. But sometimes I wonder, having created all these different kinds of people, does God really expect us to all believe the same things? Is there really just one way weâre supposed to think about the issues weâre confronted with? And my mind eventually wanders to the question of what kind of God is this God?
 When Jesus said, âI am the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father except through me,â what did he mean by that?
 Iâve often heard this verse quoted as an attempt to prove thereâs only one way to avoid going to the wrong place when you die. So you better believe certain things, think a particular way, or take specific positions on certain issues.      Â
 However, when I keep reading after that verse in John 14 what I think Jesus is really saying is if you want to know what kind of God this God is, look at me. Â
 And when I look at Jesus I see someone who also said, âCome to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.â
 Quick side note: The word âyokeâ is a Jewish term that means interpretation or way of seeing things.
 All who are weary and burdened. What might they be weary and burdened from?
 There are other places where Jesus describes the religious elite of that time as burdening the people. Among other things, he might be saying come to me those who are weary and burdened from certain religious people taking it upon themselves to decide whoâs in and whoâs out. Who give only one narrow, exclusivist way to think about all the relevant issues of the times. Who describe God as all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing, all-everything and yet ironically limit how Godâs creation should exist.
 Maybe some of the people I saw at the arts and jazz festival were weary and burdened of this kind of way of seeing things. Jesus describes his way of seeing things as easy, which I think leaves room for our differences. He describes himself as gentle and humble in heart, which sounds to me like an approach to recognizing these differences.
 And if he describes himself this way, he describes God this way.
 So maybe thatâs what kind of God this God is. One that is creative and allows that creation to flourish with all its differences.Â















