Headless Army

A couple of weeks a go I was at Princeton with the Latino Leadership Circle, for a strategic retreat and on our off time we had an opportunity to walk through the campus. We came across an intriguing statue outside McCormick Hall called "Big Figures". The sculpture is composed 20 bronze figures created by Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz. The figures, which form the sculpture stand 9 feet tall and weigh 600 pounds each. Abakanowicz, who says she became “obsessed by the image of the crowd, manipulated like a brainless organism and acting like a brainless organism,” describes her work as “a sign of lasting anxiety.”

The sculpture is a great metaphor for clueless leadership. The figures are Tall and heroic looking and tall. They don the garb of public figures, like politicians, businessmen and many clergy. Their formation speaks of succession or of a historical parade of men. They look gallant and intimidating, but a vital part of their anatomy is missing, the head. I got to thinking of how easily we follow such "figures" in life. It seems that much of leadership is devoid of true direction and understanding. Abakanowicz's "Big Figures," presents us with headless leadership. As leaders are we simply headless suits and is society simply following a brainless cadre?

In Colossians 1:18 Paul, using the body as a representation of the church, says " And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church;" The guidance of church leadership and ultimately the church itself is divine. As followers of Christ, it is Christ himself who directs us individually and who provides the "senses" to church.
If our ultimate guide is Jesus Christ (John 14:6) then we are not direction less, but heading on a clear path of life (John 10:10). I pray we don't lose our "head."


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