Don't Lose Your Head // Rev. Matt Kennedy // Sep 20 2026

There are all kinds of institutions and organizations that have local chapters of a common mission (think of things like the Kiwanis Club, Alcoholics Anonymous, or the YMCA). They often have a charismatic founder and a set of guiding values and documents that create an enduring mission and culture in diverse settings. You might be tempted to think of the Christian church in a similar way, but let me suggest the local church is actually something quite different. The local church is not a historical society, an affinity group, a book club, or a philanthropic organization. We call it "The Body of Christ", and that term separates it from other institutions because scripture teaches us that church is a living body (not a corpse).

More than a few times the New Testament says, "Christ is the head of the church" (Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18, 2:10). But in the ancient world, the head wasn't just a place to store information or make decisions. Rather the head was the source of life! The historic Christian faith has always taught that church is more than a group of people gathering around memories of Jesus, but we have a living relationship with a living God and Christ's living presence fills our life together (Ephesians 1:23). In our second week of reflecting on church as "The Body of Christ" we'll ponder this image to resist the danger of "losing our head"!