Following Christ Our Head

We use body metaphors for many things. We can have a right-hand man. We cross a neck of land to get to a remote place. We might refer to a town as the armpit of a region (of course I have never done that, and apologies if you live there).

One of the most common body part metaphors, and we probably rarely think about it when we use it, is the head. I lay my head at the head of the bed. I eat heads of lettuce. A river has a headwater. A guitar has a headstock, and so does a machine, and so does a train. A series of events can come to a head.

Most significant for this conversation, we use “head” in the context of an organization to describe the person that’s in charge. The head leads and direct and makes the final decision on difficult issues. Sometimes when the organization has changed from its original mission or form, this person can be relegated to figurehead. On paper, they are the leader, but it’s really other people who run the show.

We are told in the letters of Paul that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. In fact, in Ephesians (1:22), he says Jesus is “head over all things to the church.” When Jesus gave His life for us on the cross, God vindicated His obedience by raising Him from the dead and seating Him on the throne in heaven. And now Jesus is running the show, along with God the Father. He is head over all things.

While we don’t see the fullness of that reality in places such as Washington, D.C. or North Kivu or North Korea, the one place we should see Christ fully running the show is the church that bears His name. Paul extends the metaphor to say that the church is the body of Christ, who is its head (Colossians 1:18). He should be running the show in our church. Does He, in fact? Is He in charge?

When I meet someone for the first time and they ask what I do and I tell them I am a pastor, they respond along the lines of, “So, you run the church.” Which causes an awkward pause. I am uncomfortable answering with a simple yes because I am not Jesus. I also want to be gracious toward this simplistic view, recognizing that many people tend to see the church as just another organization—often with a single individual highlighted at the top of the “Our Team” page on the website. While it is reasonable to think about an organization in New York that is run by someone that lives in San Francisco, it’s hard to think about someone running an organization on earth from heaven. The other uncomfortable truth is that many pastors really do run their church, and they talk about it in those terms.

But in our case, I really hope Jesus runs our church, not the pastor. I hope Jesus is not just a figurehead we talk about with reverence and post His picture on the wall. I hope He really leads and directs and makes the final decision on difficult issues. We want to follow Christ as our head. How do we ensure this for our church?

1. We submit to God’s Word.
   The Bible is our ultimate authority in all our affairs. It shapes our decisions and discipleship. As we read the Bible, we listen for the voice of Jesus, the Living Word, who unites us with God, embodies and reveals truth, and gives life to the body. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He continues to lead us.
2. We pray.
   Before debating thorny issues or making hard decisions, we talk to Jesus. We ask how to pray, recall His teachings, and seek His empowerment. We expect Him to respond, often through others in the body.
3. We submit to one another.
   As Ephesians 5:21 says, we “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” By submitting our plans to the wisdom and insight of fellow believers, we trust that Jesus is speaking through them. In doing so, we honor Christ as our head.

We believe that in some unseen but very real way, Jesus is in the room every time the church gathers. We want to live out the metaphor by taking our direction from Him as our head, and being His hands and feet, and every other part of His body, continuing the work He began to do when He was physically on earth. When others interact with us, would they see that Jesus is running the show?