Done with Sex

Not really. I'm just done preaching about it for the time being. I did two sermons this week. The first was about Biblical prohibitions, which is certainly an odd topic in the Episcopal Church. The second was about purity and grace. I love that verse from the prophet Isaiah, "Come, let us reason together," says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (1:18) That verse has always meant so much to me as my sins, including, even especially sexually related ones, have always been so obvious to me. As the Psalmist, King David, has said, "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." But as I preached this past Sunday, I began to think about how painful those words might be for those who were sinned against. Those words were grace and comfort to me. Yet for those who have been raped, molested or had an adulterous spouse, those words absolve something that may permanently alter their world. Not that they wouldn't forgive, but even if they do, the pain and ramifications still linger. It's always a strange thing to start thinking about other things in the middle of preaching a sermon. Where's the ritalin ....