Slices
Prepare
What do you wear for church worship services? How do you decide? Ask God to help you to be sensitive to others in the way you appear.
Bible passage
On covering the head in worship
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head – it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice – nor do the churches of God.
Explore
Paul wants both sexes to pray and prophesy in the worship gatherings (vs 4,5), and he wants their appearance to be appropriate for Christian worship, rather than the pagan lives they formerly had. In pagan prayers, men covered their heads, often by pulling their outer garment (toga) over their head. Outside their homes, married women wore a head-covering; women without a head-covering were seen as sexually available, such as women provided by banquet hosts (men, of course) to offer sexual services to their (exclusively male) guests.
Hence, Paul says men should not cover their heads, to avoid appearing to pray to pagan gods (v 4), and women should cover their heads, to avoid appearing to invite sexual advances (v 5). Women and men are mutually dependent, expressed both in the creation story (vs 8,9, where Eve was created from Adam, Genesis 2:21–24), and in men being born from women (v 12).
In Christ men and women belong together in worshipping the God who has made them his own through the cross – and both are called to act and dress appropriately for their culture in public worship, so as to enable others to meet God, rather than be distracted.
Respond
Reflect on how you and your church handle the equality of the sexes and the differences between them. How could you better facilitate both sexes sharing in public worship?
Deeper Bible study
Lord, give me eyes to see the truth of your Word and a heart to live it out day by day.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that these verses are controversial in some quarters! A good deal of the debate has missed the heart of Paul’s teaching. These verses have nothing to do with women wearing hats in church today; still less about being silent, for in verses 4–6 there are clear assumptions women will both pray and prophesy.
Our understanding of particular words is important here. The Greek word kephale is used repeatedly. Is the correct translation ‘head’ (with headship usually assumed to denote some form of authority) or is it ‘source’ (referring to the creation order)? If we go with ‘head’, we should not today invest the term with ‘any competitiveness that might lead one to “impose” upon the other’.1 The next question relates to head coverings, probably referring to a veil or hood. It appears that wearing such a veil, in that culture, indicated controlled sexuality. Conversely, a woman with an uncovered head would essentially be saying ‘I’m available’. Are we aware of what is helpful in our culture? To what extent do our practices commend the gospel to those around us?
We need to think specifically about how we maintain high standards in respect of sexual conduct. Paul commends reverence and respect between men and women. The reference to the angels, which seems obscure, reinforces this (v 10). In Isaiah 6 the angels cover their ‘feet’ out of modesty and respect. This is how we should behave towards one another. Ultimately, these verses promote a mutuality and interdependence grounded in the dynamic interrelationship which exists within the godhead (v 3). What an example to give and what a standard to set! In this way, Paul commends to us the way of true Christian love.
How can you promote the principles of mutual respect and interdependence in the life of your church?
1 Anthony C Thiselton, 1 Corinthians, Eerdmans, 2006, p172
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 7,8; Psalms 114,115
Pray for Scripture Union
The events team are already working on the summer holiday programme for 2022. Please pray for them as they book sites and put together budgets for the coming year. Pray for holiday leaders as they too start to pray and plan for the future.
