Is there a head covering for women? If so, what is it?
I Corinthians 11 tells us about head coverings and what it means.
There was a time some Christian type churches required a woman to wear her head covered when she came to church, either a hat or a scarf. Most of these groups have discarded this rule.
But what does the Bible say? This is always what we need to find out.
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I Corinthians 11:1-16 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
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The subject of head covering is hair length for both the man and the woman.
It is a shame for men to have long hair. Hair is given to a woman for a covering. It is a shame for the woman to be shorn.
In WWII, in France, when they caught a woman who was a Nazi sympathizer, to shame her, they shaved her head.
It is a "natural shame" when a man wears long hair.
Today I see women who wear their hair like men, shorn. I see men who wear their hair like women. Both trouble me.
The Bible tells us the view in God's sight.
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What is "The Lord's Supper?" What is communion with God?
I have often heard individuals proudly say, "I took communion this morning."
Communion means to communicate, to share in a relationship.
This has been set up in churches for generations to be partaking of crackers and grape juice at the church service.
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When I was a child and we visited my aunt, she would take me to church with her.
Someone must have told me I couldn't partake of the crackers and grape juice they passed around toward the end of the Sunday morning service. I know I would carefully watch my aunt. She would be very sad looking as she took a bit of the cracker and put it into her mouth. Then they would pass a tray with many little glasses of purple liquid which turned out to be grape juice. Everyone in the room looked very sad as they took the little glasses and drank. I had no idea what it meant except I seemed to know I couldn't take this.
When I was about 15, I went forward at church and was baptized in water because I didn't want to go to hell and I thought this was the way to keep from going to hell.
Now I could partake of the cracker and grape juice on Sunday mornings at church.
But I was very disturbed over this for I didn't know how to examine myself before taking this. I didn't know how to judge myself. They taught you had to do this before you took the cracker and grape juice.
So I always dreaded this part of the Sunday morning church service.
After I was born again, when I was about 37-years-old, I began to understand that the Lord's supper was not crackers and grape juice. The Lord's supper was partaking of the Word of God, eating and drinking the scriptures. I understood that it meant to examine yourself by the scriptures when you read the Bible. Judge yourself by the scriptures. Correct yourself by the scriptures. Commune with God by the scriptures. I knew this was the Lord's supper, partaking of the scriptures.
I believe this is what the apostle Paul speaks of in the following scripture.
Partaking of the Word of God.
I Corinthians 11:23-34 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
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There are some things Paul speaks of in I Corinthians 11 which are difficult to understand.
I Corinthians 11
20-22 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
33-34 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
I think what happened here is they called the entire church meeting, "The Lord's Supper," which indeed it is. For when we come together as the church it is to eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus as given us by the Holy Spirit. God brings forth in the church what HE wills. So all would be coming to hear what God would present to them and through them as they shared things of God one with another by the Spirit of God.
In the above scripture Paul is rebuking some for they were showing off, trying to out do others and impress others with that which they knew. That would make the ones who knew nothing be ashamed.
I've always thought when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another, means to be patient. If something is being shared you've already heard before while other needs to hear that, "tarry one for another", endure the repetition.
Repetition is good for us. There are some scriptures that I have kept before me daily for months and have read them over and over.
When you think of coming together for the purpose of partaking of "The Lord's Supper", what HE would give us, it makes communion and eating and drinking the word of God much more vivid.
I think what happened here is they called the entire church meeting, "The Lord's Supper," which indeed it is. For when we come together as the church it is to eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus as given us by the Holy Spirit. God brings forth in the church what HE wills. So all would be coming to hear what God would present to them and through them as they shared things of God one with another by the Spirit of God.
In the above scripture Paul is rebuking some for they were showing off, trying to out do others and impress others with that which they knew. That would make the ones who knew nothing be ashamed.
I've always thought when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another, means to be patient. If something is being shared you've already heard before while other needs to hear that, "tarry one for another", endure the repetition.
Repetition is good for us. There are some scriptures that I have kept before me daily for months and have read them over and over.
When you think of coming together for the purpose of partaking of "The Lord's Supper", what HE would give us, it makes communion and eating and drinking the word of God much more vivid.
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I believe all scripture is inspired by God. There are some scripture I do not have an understanding of yet I believe it to be of God.
During the past 40 years, I have read and reread New Testament and sometimes God opens my eyes to see something I had not understood in prior readings.
I never try to understand scripture of my own mind. I just read. And try to correct myself by scripture. And when God opens my eyes to a portion of scripture, I rejoice in that.
I know we know "in part".
It always seems to me like God lets us see enough that we can work on ourselves and continue in the Word as we wait for the return of Jesus.
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