sexy

(some leftover sunday morning sermonizing on a thursday afternoon...)

In the book of Hebrews, it’s written that God is the one for whom and through whom everything exists. If we take this understanding of our natural state seriously, we have to rethink what sexuality is. For many, sexuality is simply what happens between two people involving physical pleasure. But that's only a small percentage of what sexuality is. Our sexuality is all of the ways we strive to reconnect with our world, with each other, and with God.
(rob bell, sex god, p42)

although the 80's was not, in my view, a decade of noteworthy artistic significance...

other than perhaps for the reestablishment of pop music as a surprisingly meaningful force of social justice to be reckoned with (taking up the charge begun in the 70's by george harrison, ravi shankar and others with the Concert for Bangladesh) in the coordination of awareness and relief efforts like BANDAID's do they know it's Christmas? song ('84), the LIVEAID and FARMAID benefit concerts(85) which reshaped my personal thinking concerning art and justice forever

...there was one particularly interesting breakthrough in music technology that had everyone talking.

MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)

MIDI was one of the sexiest (in the above-cited, rob bell sense) musical innovations of the 1980’s. it operated upon one basic assumption: no matter what the manufacturer and regardless of style/genre usage or basic instrumental role in a musical environment, there should not be barriers between the instruments themselves… in this way all MIDI instruments were immediately compatible with each other… designed to connect in order to facilitate the making of music.

i've heard the expression let's not confuse love with sex...

however, with this whole 'bigger definition' thing, i'm not sure how much of a distinction needs to be made. i mean, if we're speaking only about biology then there's some implications there, sure. .. but if we are speaking about God's original plan as outlined on the first page of our bibles then there might be some more there that we are missing which is merely informed by our biology, not defined by it; opened by our biology, not closed by it.

if we see sexy as the ability to meaningfully connect with God, each other and our world, then there's not a whole lot of difference between this and love in the deepest sense. also, there is incredible responsibility attached to this endowment...

it appears as though, in God's design, sexy is

light, not darkness

delight, not lustfulness

engagement, not instinct

depth, not superficiality

freedom, not enslavement

justice, not exploitation

meaningful connection, not biological interface…

in this reading of the word and its implications, sexy invites connection and communion, and for God to look at creation every day and conclude that it is sexy is fun... but to take that further and conclude at the end of day 6, upon looking at us, that it was now very sexy is an invitation to reach for something higher than our lust for kicks when we start talking sexy talk.