For the Glory of Christ: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

This Sunday, on Mother’s Day, we didn’t just honor moms—we honored the way God has always worked through women to shape the life and mission of the Church.

Pastor Dave opened with personal reflection—on the women who helped form his faith. Not just his mother, but the Sunday school teachers, prayer warriors, and church mentors who showed up with casseroles and quiet strength, with Scripture and encouragement. Their faith didn’t just fill a role—it shaped a legacy. And yet, even in the beauty of that witness, Pastor Dave named a tension: that while God has always empowered women, the Church hasn’t always been clear in affirming them.

That’s why, instead of avoiding a difficult passage, we leaned into one: 1 Corinthians 11:2–16—a text that’s often been misunderstood, misquoted, or misused. But as Pastor Dave reminded us, when we slow down and read Scripture in its full context, what we often find isn’t oppression—it’s glory. Not restriction—but restoration.

Paul begins not with condemnation but with commendation. He’s writing to a church that’s trying to be faithful, and he wants to help them reflect the beauty of Christ even more clearly. He acknowledges that women are praying and prophesying in public worship—and doesn’t forbid it. He assumes it in verse 5. He affirms it. The question Paul raises isn’t whether women can lead— if it were, it would have become a letter on reprimanding them for praying and prophesying. but that is not what Paul does, so instead the question he raises is how to honor them while they are leading.

In first-century Rome, head coverings weren’t about modesty—they were cultural markers of dignity and status protected by Roman law. Women from certain social classes weren’t allowed to wear them. Women who had been shamed—whether by poverty, slavery, or sin—were often visibly marked by uncovered heads or shaved hair. But in the Church, everything changes. Paul says, “Let her cover her head”—not to hide, but to reclaim the dignity that the world stripped away. It’s a radical declaration: in Christ, shame doesn’t get the last word. Glory does.

Pastor Dave helped us see that Paul isn’t laying out a hierarchy of power—he’s painting a picture of mutual dependence and shared purpose. He echoes the creation story, not to place one gender above another, but to remind us that men and women were created together, for one another, to reflect God’s image in unity. He affirms that in the Lord, “woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman… everything comes from God.” That’s not just theology. That’s ecclesiology. That’s mission.

And right in the middle of this dense, layered teaching comes a stunning line: “She ought to have authority on her head.” Not be under authority. Not be silenced. Not be sidelined. But have authority—because she bears the image of God, is filled with the Spirit, and is called to lead.

The message of this text isn’t that women must earn dignity. It’s that Christ has already given it. The Church is called not to restrict that glory—but to reflect it.

And so this Mother’s Day, we didn’t just say “thank you” to moms. We said yes to the full participation of women in the mission of the Church. Because the Great Commission wasn’t given to a few—it was given to all. Because the story of redemption is not carried by one voice, but by every believer filled with the Spirit of God.

And the invitation for each of us remains:
If Christ is in you—go.
If the Spirit has gifted you—speak.
If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a place for you in this story—there is.
Not for your own name.
But for the glory of Christ.