Slideshow image

Hi everyone! I trust you’re staying warm on these chilly February days. I’m sure the sunshine has been a source of joy for you, as it has for me.

It’s been a good week, but also a challenging one in some ways, and I would appreciate your prayers as I make preparations for this coming Sunday. No, please don’t panic—nothing dire is happening in my world. This is mostly a sermon-preparation matter.

This week we arrive at 1 Corinthians 11. Here we move into a new section: Paul addresses several issues that come up during public worship in Corinth. This section runs for 4 chapters, and it includes some of my favorite New Testament teaching (concerning spiritual gifts). However, the whole thing begins with another one of those passages we rarely preach: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. These are the famous verses where Paul talks about head-coverings and hair-length. It’s not an easy passage, which is why this week’s message is titled: “Heads, Head-Coverings, and Headaches.” In fact, one of the commentaries I’ve been reading describes the passage this way: “This section is, beyond any doubt, one of the most difficult to understand in 1 Corinthians and, indeed, in the Bible as a whole. There are almost as many interpretations of this passage as there are interpreters.” (V. Verbrugge, “1 Corinthians” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 350.)

I don’t know whether that makes you excited or apprehensive about this coming Sunday’s service. But it does create challenges for me. I’ve actually enjoyed my study over the past few weeks. However, it’s one thing to study a passage and another thing to help everyone make sense of it, finding ways to make it practical and encouraging for our Christian walk.

God is faithful, and I’m confident He’ll guide us all through this week’s study. Still, I am conscious of the need for Him to guide, so please be in prayer for me as I prepare, for the rest of the team, and for our whole congregation as we reflect on these verses on Sunday. You may want to offer a special prayer for our Scripture reader, who has to walk us through these verses first on Sunday morning.  (I think it’s Tom this week—my apologies for doing this to you, Tom.) 

As always, I’d encourage everyone who is able to read through the passage ahead of time this week. Don’t fret about things that you may find difficult, but by all means, keep a list of questions and concerns that come to mind. If time allows, I think you’ll find it helpful to read quickly through the previous section, 1 Corinthians 8-10 first, to set the immediate context. You might also find it helpful to have a look at Titus 2:1-10, which addresses some similar themes in a broader way.

I suppose I sound like I’m assigning homework. Sorry – it’s an old habit! But we’re going to talk about context again on Sunday, and this wider background is valuable. Anyway, thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I do look forward to gathering again for worship this week. (Oh, and be encouraged: this is the last of the really difficult sections in 1 Corinthians. Things get simpler from here. Yay!)

Meanwhile, have a wonderful week, and God bless you richly!

Pastor Ken