Nothing stirs my emotions like a favorite aroma. My mom used to make cinnamon bread on Sunday mornings before church. One sniff and I am transported to the place where I experienced the fragrant memory. I used a particular lotion on my first mission trip and every time I smell it, I am right back in rugged, rural Brazil.
Fragrance is a powerful memory prompt.
One of the first things we planted, 8 years ago, was my star Jasmine. It is in full bloom and smells fabulous. I knew it would take awhile to get all my landscape ideas off the paper and into planters, so I started with a few pots on our patio. From the beginning, I was imagining sitting and sipping, while the fragrance of the jasmine wafted by. My starry eyed climbers have not disappointed me.
It made me think about the aroma of me. No, not my physical smell, rather, the memory of me that remains after being together with another. We all leave a “scent” memory in how we make people feel and what their thoughts turn to after spending time with us. Wow! I had to sit with that for a bit.
Paul talks about it in his letter to the Corinthian church. He says we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and /or perishing. We can be a fragrance of spiritual life or death for others. If you are a little convicted by that thought, I’m already in line ahead of you!
But look closely at the verse below. It starts with “Christ always leads”. What follows is our privilege as followers of Jesus, we get to participate by His grace. Then it says, “through us spreads the fragrance”. It’s awesome and more than a little humbling that we get to be “spreaders” of grace. But it always starts with Christ. Not me. Not you. Christ. He is before all, and in all things! We GET to spread the fragrance of him! It’s an incredible privilege as beloved children of the King of King’s!
“Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
This is my prayer: Jesus, we want to smell like you! May anyone who interacts with us recall the sweet fragrance of the fruit of the spirit, the fruit of Your vine, growing in us. May they be drawn closer to you because we faithfully serve up the Gospel on fragrant platters of love.