Issue 210
This is part of a six-month series looking at the Sermon on the Mount from a workplace angle: enjoy the ride!
Nearly half of the workforce admits to having an affair at work. Many longterm relationships have their origins in workplace encounters. At the same time sexual harassment cases are becoming more frequent in the press and media. There is no doubt that sexuality at work is a real issue and produces many consequences, some desired and some not, some pleasant and some destructive. What do you do if the only social conversation after work is about sexual encounters? What do you do if the work culture is, in your opinion, inappropriate? How can you walk the narrow path without being labelled a prude and written off as a freak?
Unfortunately religions in general, including Christianity often get in a right mess about sexuality. From unrealistic celibacy to over-indulgence, from repression of women to obsession with women and from worship of sexuality to ignoring it altogether, we have walked strange paths.
Jesus of Nazareth was a red-blooded male, popular with women. He lived, worked and spoke in the real world. His approach to life was celebratory, not condemnatory and his approach to sexuality was consistent.
So you are the sexual salt of the earth, stopping rot and adding flavour. You are to let your sexual light shine and do good deeds as a sexual being. At the same time sexual anger or disputes will be dangerous and sexual obeying of commandments is essential. But sexual beings we are and God has made us that way. When we go to work we do not cease to be so, nor should we.
So the realistic Sermon on the Mount helps us. It recognises that sexual risk starts with the way you look at someone. You can look with respect, appreciation, admiration and even delight at the appearance, manner and style of another; you can see the beauty and craft of the Creator.
You can also look with a desire to posses, use or own. You can look with a longing to steal someone’s partner or dishonour your own. This is when you cross from healthy sexuality to lust. This is when you are in risk of falling.
Jesus advocates a love of life and celebration of sexuality, but at the same time commands a ruthless approach to the inappropriate. Using the startling metaphors of ‘gouging out your eye’ and ‘cutting off your hand’, he is saying don’t look and don’t touch in such a way as to cross the line into lust. Sexuality, when expressed in the right way to the right person is honouring to God and pleasing in the extreme; ripped out of context it is playing with fire. It is your light, not your fire that God wants to shine. To be sexual and good will only add to the inexplicable life. To ignore sexuality will only add to the prejudice against Christians. But there are few people who can celebrate their sexuality without misusing it. There are only a few on the narrow path.
Matthew 5:27-30
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
In preparation for the next GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly, do feel free to email us your thoughts to wtw@worktalk.gs or leave a comment on our Facebook or Twitter profile. You can also visit our YouTube channel - get inspired and share Worktalk's vision with others.
Work well
Geoff Shattock
© Copyright 2024 Geoff Shattock
All GEOFFSHATTOCKweekly archives are for personal use only. For permission to use for any other purposes please email using the address below thank you.
WORKTALK LEARNING
1 Washington Villas, Hythe Road, Marchwood, Southampton, Hampshire, SO40 4WT United Kingdom
T:+44 (0)23 8086 8543
http://www.geoffshattock.com
comms@worktalk.gs
