"What's that smell?"
Reflecting on the scents of faith
My little Tennessee town is now fully engaged in its yearly headlong rush into springtime. As the calendar opens up into March, life here gains momentum with the return of green grass, state-wide high school basketball tournaments, and warmer days.
In our rural area, the combination of sunny weather, strong breezes, and agriculture also means that we are again experiencing the overlayed aromas of spring. Whether the sweet scent of a sudden afternoon downpour, the freshness of newly-turned earth, or the harsh whiff of animal manure, no one can argue against the fact that our sense of smell is fully reawakened in this season of change.
As the Creator of all things, God is the Originator of all of our senses. Christians often mention Jesus and His everyday visuals of the lilies of the field or the birds of the air. When we gather in worship, we will hear the familiar sounds of old hymns and modern worship music. In our chapels and sanctuaries, many of us are drawn into the tactile experiences of sitting in pews, passing the peace with handshakes and hugs, and handling Bibles and bulletins each week. We may speak aloud our prayers and join in worship as we sing or recite the creeds or memory verses with the congregation.
But what about smell?
How does smell factor into the life of faith?
Some of us may have grown up in traditions that used incense and candles in worship. Others may have been brought up to associate the smells of certain foods with Sunday dinners that waited after the lengthy sermon ended. Church youth groups were marked by hoards of sweaty teenagers and mountains of pizza. A summer-long church camp experience holds a smell all its own.
In some eras, the scents of hairspray, baby powder, and certain hard candies may have been ever-present in our churches. Baptistries have their harsh chlorine, and church basements have their dampness.
God created us to recognize scents and to associate them with certain moments, but what does Scripture say about smell?
Sweet smells are framed in Scripture as being a part of the sacrificial life of faith. In Genesis, the burnt offering Noah gave came up as a sweet savor before the Lord (Gen 8). The poetry of the Song of Songs describes the affection of lovers as fragrances freely poured out bringing the praise of the beloved and all who bear witness to their love (Song of Songs 1:3; 4:10). Proverbs compares the care and counsel of good friends as being sweet and pleasant just as “ointment and perfume delight the heart” (Prov 27:9).
In the New Testament, Jesus commends for all time the woman who anoints him with expensive perfume (Mk 14:3-9). Such a gift is seen as one of not only great financial cost, but a sacrificial offering of great love (Lk 7:36-50). With similar language, Paul points to the act of Jesus giving His life for us framing His atoning death as “a fragrant offering and sacrifice pleasing to God” (Eph 5:2).
As believers, we too are pictured in Scripture as having a distinct smell before the world. This fragrance of faith is not tangible, yet just as perfume precedes a person’s embrace and lingers after they are gone, so our lives are to influence those around us.
As we live, we offer up an aroma that encourages those who seek life even as it testifies against those set on death (2 Cor 2:14-16). Whether as blessing or reminder of need, our lives shared before the world exude a memorable scent. We are to live in such a way that even our brief and passing presence leaves behind a hint of Christ that others will notice.
In the closing pages of the Bible, John employs the imagery of the throne room of heaven adorned with bowls of incense that contain the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8). In the presence of God’s glory, there is a beautiful scent arising from the prayers His people have entrusted to His care.
Smell is powerful. We love the sweet aromas of food at Thanksgiving. Our memories are tied to campfire smoke in the fall or freshly mown ballfields in the spring. We move quickly to avoid the stench of a parking lot dumpster, and yet we linger over the familiar smells that carry us back into pleasant memories of the past. The potent and powerful scents we encounter daily serve to form first impressions and fill our lives. Whether subtle or strong, their influence is undeniable.
May we live in such a way that our presence leaves a lingering reminder of the nearness of Christ in the life of each person we meet.
I enjoyed this. On a smoke odor investigation call, usually I am the one called in to sniff out the origin or determine the source. So my sniffer is sensitive. Smells are time machines for me, both good and bad. I hope I pass the smell test as being a good Christian example daily.