The lowly God.

I think, at least for today, that one of my favorite things about God is the fact that he is not afraid to stoop down; to take a position much lower than what he rightfully deserves. I don't think I fully understand , but it is very beautiful to me.

Monday evening, against the urgings of my body to head home and vegetate, I traveled to a local outreach that my church is partnering with as part of a plan to step beyond the walls we so often forget separate us from the very people we are called to love and support. God had been working on my heart for a while, so the beginning of this week marked the time for my body to follow suit.

I wasn't overly impressed when I finally found the place. The parking lot is big enough for three cars, if one person parks in the handicap spot. There is no ornate sign designating the location; in fact, I passed by it once before having to double-back. My first thought was "This is only a small headquarters. Nothing of great importance (with this organization) happens here."

I entered into the building and greeted a man waiting in a seat in the reception area. The entire building was vacant. Within moments another man emerged, shook my hand, and invited us back into a room surrounded by out-dated computers, an old piano, and a - from what I could gather - dysfunctional organ. There was a big-screen projection t.v. against the wall. We sat at a table facing it.

The man introduced himself, asked a few questions, and began to lay out the details of what the organization was about, its history, and where we might fit in. The entire time he spoke I felt embarrassed. Not for myself, but for this building and everything in it. I felt as if I was taking part in a first-time marketing scheme for some business venture that would never break ground. He showed us a 5-minute video that did little to ease the awkwardness.

After a tour of the facility, including the numerous rooms under construction, he brought us back into the meeting room and inquired about our desires for volunteering - who we were, where we were gifted, what we wanted from this experience. I shared with him about God's movement in my relational life - fostering a desire to love and encourage people. As he talked with the other (only) person who showed for the meeting I felt stuck...I was going to have to volunteer here, somewhere, out of obligation now.

And then God changed me.

I looked around the room and stopped feeling so embarrassed. It seems the smiling faces of the real people in the introductory video had finally burrowed their way inside of me. I thought about the big-time organizations spending millions of dollars to fix the wrongs on this broken world. My heart broke. Everything here (in this world) is still broken.

And I wondered to myself what God was going to do with this little rag-tag organization that seemed very unprofessional. Very ill-equipped. Suddenly, very powerful.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
(Philippians 2:5-8)

He who was God, is God, became nothing. Humbled himself. Died.

This humble God can do anything he wants. And I am of the mind that he wants to change the world, in some distinct way, through a little, unassuming building and the people way over their head inside it.

I hope to be a part of this.