A sermon on sex

I'm currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop (cafeno). It's got brick walls, art all over, good coffee and free internet. O, and I'm eating this FANTASTIC sandwich with chicken and guac. It's a rainy day. I know most people think rainy days are dreary, but I totally love them. It makes me want to read, paint, write, sip warm drinks, think deep thoughts...

I just came from church so here's my post church reflection. The sermon was on sex. And yes, Trey you did a great job. (Trey, the pastor sometimes reads this). Sex sermons in the church are so tricky. Still I am glad pastors are starting to attempt them in ways that don't make me want to leave the church. Mostly because (as he said in the start of the sermon) everyone else, in every other place, is sure talking about sex. It's about time the church mentioned it in a way that is life giving and not only prohibition. And yes, it's been the summer of sex sermons (from another church). This week's scripture was 1 Cor. 6:12-20.

He told of christian history and how gnosticism and St. Augustine taught the soul is good and body is bad. Basically the split is that we as people are either angels (no bodies) or animals (all bodies). He said the church has done a disservice because of this split.

Singleness was affirmed as just as good as being part of a couple. This caused people in the congregation to start murmuring positively. :) This always gets bonus points from me. Most of all I liked that instead of preaching shoulds or do this and do that he told the stories of three people he knows. It was kindof like hearing three parables about sexuality.

The following are not exactly how they were said because I didn't remember them exactly but... The first story was of a guy who has had a lot of casual sex. And he talked about how the church said you will feel guilty. But he didn't feel guilty, far from it. Why has the church ever thought that was a helpful thing to say? He talked about how, now into his 30's, he's felt something has start to shift in regards to casual sex. Now he's feeling of a bit more of an empty feeling. Interesting.

The second story was the story of an engaged couple. The guy is a virgin and the girl is not. The guy was starting to think, just because he will be married and now sex will be ok now doesn't mean he will be able to set aside the strong prohibitions about sex . I've heard multiple stories now where both people were virgins, both waited until marriage, and then after marriage they couldn't have sex. Their attempts were painful and awful. Both couples I heard of divorced within the year. Which isn't to say you should go have sex (far from it), but I do think that the church has no resources between the lectures about the evils of sex and then glories of sex in marriage. You have to go from sex is bad, to sex is good in your head in one night? That's so ridicules!

The final story was a married lesbian couple (yes married) about how they had visions of sex that had to be romantic with candles etc. all the time. Many a couple in long term relationship probably have had illusions of sex as romance, and over the years come to realize it's not always that. At one point one of them had a cancer scare. And they discovered the benefit of everyday comfort food aspect of sex that helped their marriage.

The only thing about the service that caused me to laugh was that church ended by singing the song: "bind us together with cords that cannot be broken". I think this is a regular thing for this church so it wasn't just for this Sunday. But, it was a bit funny to be singing "bind us together" after a sermon on sex. It amused me.