Last night's sermon was hard. Beth Seaman was guest speaking on singleness. She spoke very well. It was very different to have a woman giving the sermon; her voice was soft and lilting rather than loud and boisterous men cracking jokes. It's a very peculiar vibe. She was lovely though.
That said, the sermon was full on. I think that she was trying to convince everyone that singleness is a gift from God. On the one hand, i understood that she was trying to say that being single was God's gift, because it allowed us to dedicate more of our time to him, without any distractions. I understand how that could be a valid argument. Beth also said that God allowed us to marry and submit to sexual desires when we were too weak to control them - that basically to get married was to cave in to a desire that should ideally be harnessed.
However, the strenght of that argument was somewhat decimated by the fact that she said love was amazing, and was a gift (background info: she'd been married for 19yrs, divorced for 14yrs). And also by the fact that God made us to be passionate beings - why make us that way unless we were supposed to marry and experience that first hand? Why give us the temptation (sex) and the right way to do things (marriage first), if what he really wanted was for us to ignore both? The first command that God gives in the bible is 'go forth and procreate'. If you can't procreate until marriage, and we're commanded to procreate, then how can singleness be what God really wants for us? It makes no sense to me...
Beth said that there were people in the world who were never destined to get married, but to be dingle for the rest of their lives (re: alone, forever). I don't understand how God could put us on this planet with so many other people and not have made one for us to love. It absolutely terrifies me to think that i could be one of those people, destined to be alone forever. There are so many 'signs' in my life that i could take to mean that i'm never going to find anyone... It wasn't an easy sermon to sit through. Even though i didn't agree with everything she said, it raised some worrying points.
That said, the sermon was full on. I think that she was trying to convince everyone that singleness is a gift from God. On the one hand, i understood that she was trying to say that being single was God's gift, because it allowed us to dedicate more of our time to him, without any distractions. I understand how that could be a valid argument. Beth also said that God allowed us to marry and submit to sexual desires when we were too weak to control them - that basically to get married was to cave in to a desire that should ideally be harnessed.
However, the strenght of that argument was somewhat decimated by the fact that she said love was amazing, and was a gift (background info: she'd been married for 19yrs, divorced for 14yrs). And also by the fact that God made us to be passionate beings - why make us that way unless we were supposed to marry and experience that first hand? Why give us the temptation (sex) and the right way to do things (marriage first), if what he really wanted was for us to ignore both? The first command that God gives in the bible is 'go forth and procreate'. If you can't procreate until marriage, and we're commanded to procreate, then how can singleness be what God really wants for us? It makes no sense to me...
Beth said that there were people in the world who were never destined to get married, but to be dingle for the rest of their lives (re: alone, forever). I don't understand how God could put us on this planet with so many other people and not have made one for us to love. It absolutely terrifies me to think that i could be one of those people, destined to be alone forever. There are so many 'signs' in my life that i could take to mean that i'm never going to find anyone... It wasn't an easy sermon to sit through. Even though i didn't agree with everything she said, it raised some worrying points.
1 comment:
Hello Annie,
I can see why a sermon on this sort could create some worrying points but I think there are some parts that your preacher left out. if you go to paul's letter to the corinthians (part 1)... chapter 7 in a long chapter about Marriage and singleness.
Paul talks about getting married if you cannot control your urges and that will focus your attention back to God. He talks about staying single so that you can focus your attention on God like he did when you can control your urges. But he also says in verse 35, "i am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live a right way in undivided attention to the Lord".
What I understand from this is that some people may be single and some will be married. But whichever situation one ends up in it is so that you can give full glory to go. You might be a missionary who will travel the world spreading God's love but will never be married. You may raise a family with your husband/wife in a Christian way that gives glory to God.
Paul wanted the Corinth church to know that whether they are married or unmarried they need to give glory to God.
What do you think?
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