A Sister Speaks by Carly Giordano
As SISTERS, most of us have heard a lot about headcoverings. We are given special classes, exhortations are devoted to the subject, and we often talk about the matter between ourselves on a personal level. There is beautiful symbology and meaning, and a constant reminder of submission but that's not what this article is about. Rather, I would like to take the opportunity to speak to my brothers.If you are a brother out there feeling mostly indifferent about headcoverings, you are not alone. An informal survey of my relatives and close friends convinced me that brothers have a lot to learn from a symbol that might not mean much now. When asked in general about headcoverings, I received responses from, "I really haven't ever thought about it," to "I think sisters who wear headcoverings show a beautiful attitude." The one thing they all had in common was a perspective that left headcoverings completely in the sisters' realm, while personally not attributing any significance. It is my hope that after having read this article you, as a brother, may find new inspiration, meaning, and beauty in a common symbol you see every Sunday.
We are familiar with the basic principle under which headcoverings are mentioned in I Corinthians 11. The hierarchy of order starts at God, below whom is Christ, man is next, and woman is last. I heard it explained once that wearing headcoverings "because of the angels," recognizes the specific hierarchy that the angels, as God's messengers, established — that there has to be a leader and a follower for order and analogy's sake.
We sisters do our part in coving our heads to remind ourselves of our place in that order, but since our place depends so much on yours (as the brethren), it should serve as a reminder for you, too. Being leaders, or "heads," is a great responsibility. My father, as a newly married man many years ago, asked Bro. Harry Tennant what was the biblical meaning of headship. He was surprised when Bro. Harry replied, "The meaning of biblical headship is that the husband is the greater servant." The reason for that is, of course, because you are specifically called to "model" Christ to us!
This is a goal that all of us should strive for, the image of the perfect man, but that is what God gave the brothers especially to remember. Ephesians 5 speaks at length about what it means to be the head. It means loving as Christ did, self-sacrificially, washing with the word, and being concerned about keeping his wife blameless and holy. For the married brothers the exhortation is literal, but even for the unmarried that principle holds true. As heads of the ecclesia, it is the brothers' holy responsibility to be examples of self-sacrifice, love, overflowing with the word of God, attentive and concerned with the work of cleansing, healing, and "clothing" the ecclesia, the bride of Christ. They must be Christ-like in word and deed. It is a beautiful thing to strive for. Seeing the sisters with the symbol of our readiness to follow where you lead can inspire you all the more.
There is another principle involved with headcoverings that is not stated in I Corinthians, but certainly can be derived from the word. The word "atonement" means simply, "covering." Paul speaks of women being the "image of the glory of man," which needs to be covered. We know that Christ died and rose again and has provided for us a covering. One reason that I personally wear a headcovering is as a reminder of the covering placed over us, the church, and what that means in my life. Because we have been mercifully covered, our reaction should be one of humble thankfulness and a desire to live worthy of it, as much as we are able.
We should all be living our lives, every day, with "covered heads," always reminding ourselves of the covering Christ provides. The love of Christ compels us to judge that since Christ died for us, we also "died," and that because He rose, we live no more for ourselves but for him. You can see from this how broad and inclusive the symbol of a headcovering really is. It has great meaning not for sisters alone, but for you brothers as well. Hopefully now each Sunday when the sisters cover their heads, you too can receive all the inspiration, encouragement, and the powerful reminder that this symbol brings.
A Brother Speaks by Ben Brinkerhoff
I remember the Bible classes on this subject I heard when growing up. All of them had the same direction and theme. The classes were guided toward our sisters and explained a true and correct principle. The principle is laid out very directly by Paul in I Corinthians 11:7:For a man ought not to wear anything on his head [in the ecclesia], for he is the image and [reflected] glory of God, but the woman is [the expression of] man s glory. -Amplified Version
In most Bible classes I attended on the subject, the emphasis was on the hierarchy. The man reflected God's glory, which is Christ, because God made Adam in His image. Woman was made from man and is the reflection of man's glory. God's glory should be displayed in the ecclesia, however man's glory should be covered in divine presence. Occasionally from here a Bible class would venture into Old Testament precedents and other relevant side topics. From this the directive came to our sisters to cover their heads.
Remember the principles
It is not enough for us to simply mandate that our sisters cover their heads. We must remember that we are executing Paul's instruction because of a principle that applies equally to both brothers and sisters. There are powerful lessons for brothers when we examine our uncovered heads with the same vigor with which we examine the covered heads of our sisters. As much as our sisters must recognize that their hair represents the glory of man and should be covered, our brothers must appreciate that their uncovered heads represent the glory of Christ.What does this mean? What do brothers see when their wives, sisters, and mothers have their heads covered? In a very real sense they should see themselves. In the divine hierarchy in which our brothers reflect Christ, our sisters reflect our brothers. Because the head of the woman is the man, the sisters must cover their heads. Thus brethren should have a sense of humility at the sight of a sister with a covered head. Brethren should recognize that just as a sister's head is covered, all their own human glory should be covered.
Glory is to Christ
Our sisters represent the ecclesia as a whole in relation to Christ: humble, contrite, reverent, and soft-spoken. Together as an ecclesia of brothers and sisters we represent the bride of Christ as revealed in Revelation 19: 7-8: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glorv! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and the bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saint " (NIV).Because the bride must give glory to Christ, our sisters symbolically hide the glory of the man by covering their heads. Then our brethren can show forth Christ's glory unimpeded. But Christ's bride is made up of both sisters and brothers. In that sense, our sisters must represent the hearts of their brethren. The question for us as brethren is whether we are showing forth Christ's glory. This is not only done through speaking roles, but primarily in our conduct toward one another. Our role as brethren with our heads uncovered is not one to be taken with pride. There is no pride in representing Christ. There is no pride in realizing that our sisters cover our humanity as brothers. Instead, there is responsibility, love, and humility. There is a responsibility brothers have to our sisters, to lead them, care for them, and sacrifice for them. There is responsibility to reflect the glory of Christ in our character and behavior.
How Christ reflected God's glory If Jesus Christ is our example, we should look just briefly at the way he reflected a glory not his own, but God's. Jesus prays to God in John 17:22: "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one."
Another place in that same chapter Jesus prays to God about what in particular he gave them, John 17:7-8: "Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them."
Jesus glorified God in his obedience to God's word. The glory of God is the knowledge of God in His revealed word and the humble obedience of it to salvation. Jesus passes these words and this glory on to his disciples and they in turn have passed it along to us through the inspired Bible. It is the duty of brethren to display God's glory with our heads uncovered and through teaching God's word each Sunday. This teaching must then be made meaningful through our obedience to God's words.
The words of God It is because of the intricate link between the glory of God and the words of God that prophecy is specifically mentioned as an activity during which our sisters' heads should be covered. Paul says in I Corinthians 11:5: "But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head" (NKJV).
The ultimate point of this symbolism is the glory of God. As brethren we can demonstrate God's glory through teaching His word (prophesying) and in our example of righteous behavior. This is the glory passed from Jesus to his disciples. It is God's glory symbolically represented by uncovering our heads and manifested in a godly life.
