Christ is also the head of the church which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.

There are many phrases we use regularly. I find it fun to discover their origins as to why we say the things we do. One phrase I never questioned though, was “Running around like a chicken with their head cut off;” because I also grew up hearing stories from my grandma, about life on a farm. One fact of farm life is that animals are raised for meat. I remember being both grossed out and amused, as a kid, hearing about “harvest day” for chickens. Most methods of killing chickens involve some sort of beheading. The description that stuck was of a chicken that wasn’t held still at the time of beheading; so, it took off running around without their head for a few seconds. The body quickly got the memo that it was dead and fell in a heap. For whatever reason, this gruesome tale is the image that comes to my mind as I consider that Christ is the “head” of the body and trying to imagine it any other way. Part of me says, “Of course he’s the head…and?” However, I would like to sit in this reality for just a moment today and think about what this means for us.

The New Testament is full of analogies using the body as its comparison. Most are referring to how the body and its parts are dependent on one another, and when one part of the body is suffering, the whole body suffers. If you have ever had any kind of injury, you know this to be true. For one, you notice just how much you normally depend on that broken or wounded body part in its absence and adjusting for its healing. Our scripture today, however, takes this idea another step further as it refers to Jesus as the head of the body. While this may seem obvious that the creator of all things would in fact be in charge, I find it interesting that the body truly cannot live or function at all without its head. A body without a head is dead.

Just as chickens cannot physically go on living without their heads, the Church would likewise die without our “Head.” We might run around doing good things out of habit, but without the head of the Church, Jesus, we would lack direction and purpose and would soon collapse. We cannot live and move and have any kind of purpose if Christ has not first made it so. If Jesus is supreme over all the church body, does that not mean that we also are not supreme? The very idea of supremacy implies ONE head above all others. Yet, how often do we come before God with a list of the things we think he should do? Do you ever pray about something while simultaneously telling God the best way to accomplish the outcome you think best? I know I have been guilty of this. The very word “supreme” should give us pause to see a bigger picture. He is creator, first in all things, even first to conquer death. From that perspective, who are we to tell God what to do or how to do it?

Without Christ, we have no purpose, no unity, and no thought of order. Jesus, much like a physical head, leads the body in his will and purpose. There is no function that the body can perform without the head first setting it in motion. Think about your heart beating because your brain tells it to. You breathe because your brain tells your lungs to take in air to keep you alive. Even the action of blinking your eyes is caused by your brain protecting your eyes so they can provide the vision we need to see. These are all functions in our subconscious that we do not even realize we’re doing just to live. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, we cannot have a beating heart of purpose for the lost, breath in our lungs to speak his name, or eyes to clearly see the path he has for us. Even in death, our “head” first experienced and defeated it so we could live.

As we sit in the truth that Christ is first in all things, the head of the church, someone you cannot live without, and supreme over sin and death; we should take a moment to thank Jesus for being the head of his body. He doesn’t leave us with a list of things to do and say, “Good luck!” Rather, he is active, present, setting things we cannot see in motion. As we acknowledge Jesus as the Head, we must also acknowledge we are not. I am grateful to be a part of Christ’s body, but pray I never have illusions of being the “head” in anything.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being the supreme authority of all things. I am so grateful that you are in control, and I am not. Forgive us when we behave like we would like to be the head. Help us to trust you and realize our place in your kingdom. Thank you for including us in your plan. Amen.