Hi Church!
 
Do you like to wear a hat?  I know some people who do not like to leave home without a hat, and others seldom, or never wear one.  My father blamed the wearing of a ball-cap hat on his going bald early in life.  I am not sure about the science behind that one, lol!
 
Of course, there are all kinds of hats for various occasions.   I want to challenge you to do something, a little history lesson.   Do a search online for “images of women wearing hats in the early 1900’s.”     You will notice that all of the women wore hats.  And there were all kinds of hats.    Some were extremely elaborate and others plain.  So why did the women wear hats?  The answer is in I Corinthians “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.”  11:6   You may want to read that again, or even a few times.  It likely raises some questions in your mind, and you may wonder what has changed?
 
Hats were a symbol, much like they still are in some religious circles, of a divine order.  Paul said it like this, “for this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head…”  I  Cor. 11:10     I want to emphasize the word symbol.  It was a very visible image of a greater principle, headship.   It was not about the hat, per say.   I would liken it to a wedding ring.  A wedding ring is a symbol.  It symbolizes a commitment/vow that an individual has made to their spouse.    When you see the ring, you think of their commitment.    When people saw the hat, they were to recognize the truth that the woman is under the man.
 
Paul makes this clear in the opening verses –  “…the head of every man  is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”   I Cor. 11:3.    Listen, God’s ordained roles have not changed.  Paul said that the “man is not from the woman, but woman from the man… nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.”  A clear ref. to Genesis 2.
 
So, the question is,  do women still need to wear hats today?   Was it a “tradition” or “custom” that people can choose to follow or not?   That is a great question!   This is an extremely timely message.  We live in a period of time when roles and even genders are becoming increasingly blurred.  More and more churches are ordaining women to be pastors of churches, a clear violation of God’s ordained order.
 
And here is something else to think about,  when the “hats came off” in the 1960’s, they were not the only thing to come off.  We see an increasing number of things that are more and more “uncovered” by women,  like legs, thighs, breasts, and butts.  Reading back over that makes me think that I just described a chicken… but it is true, and so many still wonder why we see so many women abused and taken advantage of.
 
In conclusion, this is going to be a challenging message for men and women.   This is not just for women, not at all.  Are men acting like the way men are called to love/lead?   Many men want to be followed but are they following their head, Christ?   You see everybody is under somebody.
 
I know that any time that you delve into the role of men and women, you can expect some “sparks to fly”.    Oh, and why might that be?   God said it would be so, “your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”   Genesis 3:16.   Note:  God said that, not me or your husband.
 
Lastly, we are going to have some fun while we learn some valuable truth.  Please, I want everyone to wear their favorite hat on Sunday!
 
In God’s Good Grip,
Pastor Michael
 
PS –  Please bring in your items for the Healing Hearts Cafe on Sunday.   Jennifer will be sending out a list of items that we are collecting for them in her email.    AND THERE IS THE SCHEDULED PRAYER TIME TONIGHT AT 7PM.  Please join us as we intercede for our church, community and country.