Conducting church activities (1 Cor 11)

In chapter 11, Paul outlines some principals for conducting church activities.

Head coverings for women

First, women are to have their heads covered in prayer.  On one hand, this seems a little strange in our culture in which this practice has largely gone away.  Paul also makes the point that long hair has been given to women as a covering.  For the most part, long hair remains associated with the women today.  However, Paul does distinguish between women's hair and the coverings.

We have not completely gotten rid of the practice of head coverings.  It certainly is common among the Eastern Orthodox churches, but even today, women frequently wear hats to church.

Administering the Lord's Supper

In the second of the chapter, Paul discusses that the Lord's Supper is not something to be taken casually.  Rather, people should examine their own hearts to see if they understand the significance.  At the very least, someone who recently did idol rituals should not partake of it (10:14-22).

Intermixed with this advice is the general idea that people should eat their meals at home, particularly if hungry people are coming to church.