The other day I saw a statue of a headless horse. I don't know the reason for it being headless. As it was displayed in a park in public view, I would think there was a legitimate reason for it being headless. It may be that those who commissioned the statue ran out of money. Perhaps it was vandalism? Whatever the reason, it was quite thought-provoking.

A headless horse with a beautifully carved, muscular body, a strong neck but no head to guide it in any clear or useful direction.

The same is true of any group of people -- a church, a political party, a sporting team, a business organisation -- without proper leadership -- a head -- the group will flounder.

We were reminded of this principle when an Australian Federal Election was held several years ago. The two dominant political parties that contested the election had prominent leaders. The party that lost the election then became disoriented when its long-time leader retired from the political scene. It was like looking at a horse without a head; a political party with a body of experienced and capable members but floundering following the loss of its leader.

The Church is blessed with a strong, positive leader. His leadership has been tried and tested for countless centuries of time. What is of considerable comfort is that He will never retire or be forced to relinquish His leadership role because of a lack of support by the people in general. He won't be voted in, or out, of office.

His style of leadership is very different in so many ways to what we see around us today. He functions with the welfare of all His constituents always in mind. He does not yield to any pressure group -- left, right, centre, conservative, liberal or otherwise. He hews the line for what He knows is best for the people.

His policies have been laid down for thousands of years and have stood the test of time, challenge and ridicule. All His policies stem from two great, ever abiding principles -- love towards God and love towards neighbour (Matthew 22:37-39).

His leadership and policies are the hallmarks of His character. He stands for honesty, integrity, accountability, compassion and selfless service. He is our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

He has walked in our shoes -- a son, a brother, a family member, a builder who knows how to put in a good day's work. Some love Him, some ridicule Him, others disregard Him or revile Him, but none have been able to justly lay blame at His feet, or call Him to account for shoddy workmanship, misuse of money or manoeuvring for political gain. Some have indeed tried to muddy His name and have lied about his character but before the court of justice the accusers will find their own faults exposed and the accusations against Him thrown out of court.

The Church is indeed blessed to have such a leader. The apostle Paul made this clear and unequivocal statement: "Christ is the head of the church..." (Ephesians 5:23).

We are not left like a horse without a head. We have a head – the living Jesus Christ.