Greetings,
The Song of Solomon is one of those books of the bible that is rarely discussed in the church. Quite honestly the sexual language of the book makes some people uncomfortable. Sexuality is one of those things that many, indeed most, are reluctant to speak of aloud. It is something that is very personal.
These feelings are quite understandable, however, the problem is that sexuality is a part of who we are as humans. To try to ignore or deny sexuality means that, in a very real way, we are denying part of who we are. We have allowed what was intended to be a sacred gift of God to become something of which we are embarrassed or ashamed. Now, I’m not saying that we should openly talk about our “sexual” lives… far from it. Rather, what I am saying is that sexuality shouldn’t be something that makes us so uncomfortable that we ignore it or feel shame about.
I believe that there is a very real danger of ignoring the issue of sexuality, especially when it comes to young people in the church. You see, if we ignore sexuality in the church and keep it hidden, the culture at large becomes the only voice about sexuality that we are exposed to. Rather than hearing that sexuality is a sacred gift from God, youth (and us all!) are instead exposed to constant messages from the culture that say “if it feels good, do it!”
The culture at large rarely speaks of the consequences (good and bad) that arise from our sexuality. Culture doesn’t coach us about what to do when someone tears your heart in two. The church should be a place where those teachings can happen.
Sexuality is a gift from God, it is not something of which we should be ashamed.
Until Next Time,
Pastor Stanton