A New Spirituality of Sexuality

The lovely thing about being a part of a community that validates wider forms of sexuality than might normally be found in a local church is that deep hugs of healing and affection occur on a daily basis.

Several of my close friends here are married males, whose wives I know and totally respect and adore.  Some of my most admired (s)heroes are fighting for the freedom to express same-sex love in a world that is still quite homophobic.  Single people are not made to feel less adequate, because regardless of marital status, dating life, and sexuality, we are all students with something to learn and teach.

There is a way that this community celebrates the physical, emotional, and spiritual beauty of its members in ways that are non-threatening and that are expressions of love rather than exertions of power.  There is an incredible freedom in this space to be who we were created to be--and to rejoice in others doing the same.  This means that I can tell a friend how beautiful she looks, and ask how her same-sex partner is doing, and give a long hug--all in the same breath.  This means that I can cuddle with my housemate's girlfriend, with him there, and rejoice that love is love, and hugs are healing.

Not quite so in the "real world," where society cares about status--marital, financial, and otherwise--more than about a person's core beauty. How can the Kin-dom of God be made manifest in my life after YDS?

I don't know, and I don't need to know now.  May Jesus show me how best to channel His love to a world that shames sexuality, singleness, celibacy, faithfulness, chastity, and promiscuity.  The bottom line is that we are sexual beings, with deep spiritual and emotional needs that are intricately woven in with our sexuality.  Oh, we are broken, and I know that many things have gone awry in the course of the human narrative.  I take Scripture seriously and still wonder how to reconcile my personal experiences with Paul's letters.  But I won't give up on love, and I know that ultimately, love does conquer all.

Amen.