Who are the leaders?

Last Sunday, our church's youth led us in worship. They sang Matt Maher's “Your Grace is Enough,” in which the second verse sings to God that “You use the weak to lead the strong.” The weak who sprang into my mind as I sang were vulnerable, fatherless children. Do these weak children really lead us, we the “strong,” who sit comfortably with our homes and cars and computers, retirement funds and choices of what we want to eat each day?

The song brings me back to afternoons spent in Vietnamese orphanages. We spent several hours with small boys and girls who were eager for attention and love. They touched my heart and will not let it go. I see their faces when I sing on Sunday mornings. I have been changed by a few minutes playing with these weak children. I also call to mind what I have learned through my two sons, through their questions, vulnerabilities, ups and downs. My boys, and other orphans, have led me into impassioned prayer. They have helped me understand the compassion of Jesus and the righteous, indignant justice of the Father. Haven't you, whether you have adopted, foster parented, visited orphanages, or cared for vulnerable children in other ways, all felt that you have been led by weak children? If we let them, these children will change our lives forever.

How is it that orphans lead us?

It's not that orphans are idyllic angels, that we sit at their feet because of their moral, intellectual superiority. “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Cor 1:27-29). Who is more lowly and despised than orphans? These forgotten, left behind children are a window through which we can see God's wondrous glory and salvation.

The strong systems of the world will bulldoze over orphans. Vulnerable children represent the opposite of man-centered empires. They show us the kingdom of God that turns our strength-exalting priorities upside down. They remind us of the topsy-turvy gospel that raises valleys and levels mountains. Orphans seem to have no power to influence great human empires. But Jesus quietly insists that we regard them. When we do, we remember the weak wisdom of the cross. The kingdom to which we belong is not built by the strongest and smartest among human cultures, but by the power of Christ, who died as a seemingly weak, lowly and despised man.

Where do orphans lead us?

To Jesus, our King and Captain and Leader, the one who became weak so that we through his poverty might become rich. He will not falter or become discouraged until he establishes justice on earth.