She gives out the impression of being a woman who, as my grandma would have said, is "no better than she ought to be" - she is the housewife who certainly seems to come across as very desperate.
But we tread on very dangerous ground when we make such judgements
Our reading today focuses on - and the title for my message is - "The Sins of the flesh". It's a reading that has for many years been used to condemn sexual minorities. Centuries ago, people of a certain prejudiced mind used the bible to justify slavery - they had the text to back them up - and so everyone believed it was right. Today we find people using the same arguments to justify sexism and homophobia and this is one of the passages they love to use.
So how do we respond to it? Well thoughtful reflection on the reading suggests that it relates to temple prostitution, which Paul was understandably opposed to.
Now it's very tempting to look at this passage and say "oh well it doesn't relate to modern day relationships" and make the mistake of dismissing it. It's a mistake to spend so much time focussing on and justifying what this passage ISN'T about that we can forget to reflect on what it IS about.
So what is it about? What should this passage say to us? What does this passage say to Edie?
Well the first part of it is for me really straightforward - what we do with our bodies matters. How we treat our bodies is important. If we eat too much - or too little we can make ourselves unwell - we can make it harder to do everyday things. The chemicals we put into our bodies can make us unwell if we overdo them - caffeine, and alcohol - in excess they can all be very bad for us. There are other chemicals we can chose to put into our bodies - some of them can be bought at the corner shop - and they too can have long term health implications.
It's not rocket science this bit is it? If we're honest most of us eat a diet we know could be better and over-indulge too much in other areas - some vices are hard to give up when we think they give us comfort.
But what about what we do with our bodies when it comes to being intimate with others? Well, again this too can affect our health - not just physically, but our spiritual health and state of mind.
What is it that motivates Edie who we saw in our clip? Is she thinking with her hormones and using her assets to try and act on them, or is there something more to it? If you've seen the series, you may have come to see a different side to Edie. Each week in the series the women gather for a weekly card game - it's a chance to share some jokes and some time with each other - to be away from their men folk and just hang out with their friends - except Edie.
She is the one who gets excluded from the housewives weekly card games - for her, getting a place on that card table is something she is desperate for and is prepared to use any means necessary to get her seat. Edie desperately wants to be liked. Desperately wanting to be accepted. She's spent so long being on the outside of the 'in-crowd' that her behaviour has basically gone unchallenged - the outsider has made up her own rules about what is acceptable as long as she gets what she wants.
When we look at our community - and Manchester has a thriving gay community - are there throwbacks in what we expect to find on the scene - throwbacks to a time when being gay was illegal - when attachment and commitment were rarely pursued because attachment or relationships could lead to discovery?
The outsiders made up their own rules - in the absence of clear role models and a society that didn't understand.
So what is the sexual immorality that Paul talks of in his reading? Well chances are many of us who have been out, as a single person, will have experienced it at some point in our lives: sex that is just skin on skin; sex that doesn't make us feel happier for any longer than it lasts.
Imagine if you will for a moment - being intimate with this person. This is Vicky Pollard from Little Britain - and because she's a character in a sketch show - she has no depth, we hardly know anything about her - she's completely two-dimensional - she's a one trick pony.
It's fine to view Vicky Pollard as a two dimensional person because she's fictional - but we're not
God wants us to view ourselves as whole people to show a love for ourselves for the people we are and the people we are yet to become; to show respect for our own bodies and our spirits. Where our bodies go our spirits go too and since the Holy Spirit is within us, we take the Holy Spirit there also. We have to celebrate the three dimensional people that we are with all of our faults and our failings. As Christians this has to be one of our personal goals. And it needs to shine through from us in our behaviour.
So when we deal with other people and when we're intimate with them, surely we should endeavour to do the same? We can chose to treat everyone we meet and love with respect, see them as human beings, as whole people - not just as a cartoon character who can serve our needs: to show respect for other people as three dimensional people - for their bodies and their spirits - with all of their faults and failings and virtues.
Do we chose to behave in a way that builds up other people's self worth and self esteem or do we think about how to flatter our own egos a little more?
Our sexuality helps to make us who we are, it drives how we behave; it affects the people who we are drawn to, and those who are drawn to us. We can chose to celebrate our sexuality instead of being a slave to it. I've always found it kind of odd, that in a land where the gay community celebrates Pride, so often we come across the term 'straight-acting' as if it's some sort of virtue.
We can celebrate our sexuality and use it with integrity and compassion; we don't have to be dismissive of other people's feelings, it can show in the simplest of ways:
God has created humanity with a rainbow-coloured diversity of love: our sexuality, our identity, our spirits are God's special creation. Our sexuality is a gift from God, a God who loves us - we can all give praise to God for our capacity to give and receive joy because of who we love.
When we look
a little closer, take the time to look a little deeper - we may find we see
something different: instead of the wanton sex goddess we may find someone
who needs a friend.
Amen
(Dan Joseph)
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.