How do I smell?

I say, I say. My dog has no nose.
How does he smell?
Terrible!!

So the old joke goes.

The Bible talks about us being the Aroma of Christ to people around us, and this was the theme of ECM’s Biennial Conference which took place over the past week, no two weeks ago, in Peñiscola in Spain. It was uplifting, exhilarating and challenging. We were encouraged to consider how we lived our lives, what sort of “smell” we were giving off – and whether it clearly reflects our identity as belonging to Jesus and having a real living relationship with Him or not. The amazing thing was that the main speaker, David Ruis, from Guatemala, came from a background in the perfume industry, and constantly referred to the preparation and marketing of a new fragrance as he talked about the “Aroma of Christ”

I have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks thinking about what aroma is all about. Why do things smell the way they do and how is it we use smell to convey certain messages, and I came up with the following :

Aroma and Identity – dogs explicitly use it to figure out one another when they meet. We don’t actually use our noses, and but we do the same, metaphorically speaking, sniffing around one another when we meet, to get some idea of what the other person is like. If we live like Jesus, we should “smell” like him, so that other people will know.

Aroma and Worship – so much in the Bible’s teaching about the Jewish sacrifices in the Old Testament has to do with the sense of smell, and the fact that God “enjoys” smelling the worship offered up by His people. We exist to worship and adore Him, and our enjoyment of Him comes from His enjoyment of our worship

Aroma and Warning – Poison stinks – rightly so. If it didn’t, we could easily be taken in and consume something dangerous. The message of Jesus has something of a “stink” about it too, a warning that if you avoid this promise of grace that He gives, there’s nothing left for you but a future apart from God and separated from His love.

Aroma and Pleasure – A woman broke an alabaster box of expensive perfume and poured the contents over the feet of Jesus, and the passage says that the whole house was filled with the smell of the fragrance. It is nice to be around people who smell good. Smell is sensual. We’re meant to enjoy the scents and aromas around us. Jesus smells good. Do I?

Aroma and Fruitfulness – Have you ever been in a crowded room when somebody peeled an orange. You have no idea where it's coming from, but you immediately sense the smell of orange, and a craving for the fruit is awakened within you. Well, that's how it is with me, at any rate – maybe I have a thing about oranges. A walk in the Algarve in October – orange groves bursting with fruit and the air is full of the scent of oranges. Fruitful lives should be “smelly” as we burst with the fragrance of Jesus in us.

Aroma and Appetite – our classroom where we study Portuguese is right by the little cafeteria, and sometimes, when it approaches 12 noon, the smell of food cooking sets the old taste buds going, and, by the time the classes end, we are positively drooling for food. God tastes good! But am I hungry for Him?