"Let's talk about SEX, baby..."

"The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than nine, your anointing oils are fragrant, your name is purfume poured out; therefore the maidens love you. Draw me after you, let us make haste. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you."

(Song of Songs 1:1-4)

I still remember "finding" the Song of Solomon as a junior higher. Back in the late 70's, I was quite shocked. An erotic love poem?!? In the Bible?!?! Who knew!?!

We don't talk about sex much in the church. (Unless it's to say to our youth, "Just (DON'T!) do it!" But our sexuality is a very real part of being human. God created us to be sexual beings. Our challenge, of course, is to keep it healthy, wholistic, and integrated into our whole person. In a culture that's saturated with sex and sexuality, it's often hard to keep it healthy. How we were raised to understand sex and sexuality also greatly impacts how we handle it as adults.

If you've never read through the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon), it's worth your time. It extols the love between two people. And yes, it's quite erotic at times, for a biblical passage. It revels and rejoices in the physical sexual relationship between two people. "For your love is better than wine" (v.2) refers to physical love-making, not just romantic feelings.

Like anything in life, we tend to improve with age when it comes to our sexuality. Not only in technique and competence, but also in depth of intimacy and commitment. How refreshing to have the Song of Songs in scripture... to remind us of the power of our sexuality - especially within the bonds of a committed, life-long relationship. So, let's talk about sex, baby (with a nod to Salt-N-Pepa)!