PostScript: Living as a fragrant offering
We are called to stand out in the world as fragrant examples of God’s love (Ephesians 4.25-5.2).
People don’t change much, do they?
It’s been nearly 2,000 years since Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, but the behaviours he warns them against in Ephesians 4.25-5.2 are still pretty prevalent.
This week has seen plenty of anger (v.26), evil talk (v.29), wrangling and slander (v.31):
Online, controversy has arisen over the approach taken by different apps and platforms to the alleged “hate speech” spread by accounts belonging to US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website InfoWars. Among other things, Jones has claimed that some of the children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting were actors. The bereaved parents of two of the children are suing him for defamation in these “false, cruel, and dangerous assertions”. Facebook, YouTube, Apple and Spotify have removed some or all of Jones’ content or accounts, but Twitter has refused to follow suit, saying that he has not yet broken their rules.
Boris Johnson’s ill-advised and impolite remarks about the burka in a column for The Telegraph have led to calls for the Tory whip to be removed from him – in other words, to remove him from the party. Prime minister Theresa May and others have not gone so far but have called on Johnson to apologise, given he “clearly caused offence”. At the time of writing, he has not backed down. The Tory party is already at odds with itself over Brexit and Johnson’s latest outburst – whatever his actual intentions – has certainly not helped to ease tensions or damp down accusations that racism and Islamophobia are rife within the party’s pro-Brexit faction.
Labour is no less embroiled in rage and wrangling, as the row over the party’s handling of antisemitism continued this week. Two MPs who criticised Jeremy Corbyn and the party leadership for its failings to deal with the antisemitism claims found themselves facing disciplinary action as a result, and Tom Watson’s attempt to intervene saw him attacked on Twitter by an angry #ResignWatson campaign. The inquiry against Margaret Hodge MP has since been dropped. Calling for the inquiry into her colleague Ian Austin MP to be dropped too, Hodge said “The new style of politics is bullying and intolerance, not gentle and inclusive.”
Reflection
All of this would no doubt have seemed just as familiar to Paul and his readers as it does, sadly, to us. Even if we like to think ourselves free from the taint of bigotry or hatred, it is still so very easy to allow anger and bitterness to overwhelm us; to give in to a ‘clever’ or snide remark that takes us across the line from reasoned debate to crude offence; to refuse to back down or apologise, for fear of losing face; or to hold a grudge and refuse to accept an apology offered.
But Paul urges us to put all this aside and to ensure that it does not get the better of us (v.26).
As anyone who has tried to break a bad habit will know, it is very hard to do unless you can replace it with a better one. Paul has suggestions to help us work out what we should take up in place of the wrong ways we are urged to put down. Hands that steal should take up honest work (v.28); mouths that speak evil should instead speak words of encouragement and grace (v.29). And in place of the anger and wrangling and slander should be kindness, forgiveness and love (v.32 and 5.2).
Such a total transformation might seem like a hard ask. Just imagine the shock we would feel if our politicians managed it within the week! But in the verses just before today’s passage Paul tells us where to find the source of the help we need. We can put away our anger before the sun goes down each day because in Christ we know that each morning, each moment, we can start again and “clothe [our]selves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”. (v. 24) We can live as “imitators of God … in love” (5.1-2) because “God in Christ has forgiven you” (v.32)
And at last, if we live in this way, we can become instead a “fragrant offering” that pleases God, its spreading scent witnessing to those around us that in Christ, people can and do change, very much.
Prayer(s)
If it’s in your church’s song books, you could sing Graham Kendrick’s ‘May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place’ as a prayer, or perhaps play it while people take time over the all-age activity below.
A prayer of confession and petition
God, who made my hands and mouth,
Forgive me for the times that I have used them in the wrong way:
When I have acted in anger, taken what was not mine, or sat idle when there was work to be done.
When I have lied, gossiped, spoken viciously, or sat silent when your voice needed to be heard.
Help me to put my hands and mouth to your service:
To bring a gentle touch where it is needed, to share what I have, and to work with integrity for you.
To speak with truth and grace and gentleness, and to bring your word of love to those I meet.
Take now my hands and my mouth and let them once again be yours,
A fragrant offering and a sacrifice to you.
Amen
Questions
Have you ever walked into a department store beauty floor and been hit by the scent? Or perhaps noticed someone’s perfume as they walked past you? Or perhaps you’ve been around a bad smell – food rotting under a bed, or a blocked drain? We might not now use scent in worship to the extent that Paul and his original readers would likely have done, but we can still recognise the sensory power of a good or bad smell, how it can linger and spread, even from a tiny source. Think about what this might mean for us as a fragrant offering to Christ – how can we trail the scent of Christ behind us?
See also the activity for young people for a light-hearted take on this.
All-age activity
This could work alongside some of the ideas in the magazine focused on thinking about people we admire and who have influenced us (‘My selfie’ in Children & Young People and the second sermon idea in Adult & All Age).
Preparation
Hand out paper and pens. If possible, before the service, cut the paper into shapes that remind us of fragrance – perhaps simple flower shapes, or scent bottle shapes. If you don’t have time for that, ask people to draw a large flower or scent bottle onto their paper instead. If you can scent the paper with any kind of pleasant fragrance, however cheap, then even better!
Activity
As you talk together about the people you admire and want to be like – whether those in the public eye or those you know personally – focus in on the particular qualities that you admire in them. Then focus further in on the qualities in them that remind you of our loving God. Ask each person to choose one of those qualities and to write it onto the paper. Then either pin the papers onto a board for display or – especially if you have been able to scent the papers – invite people to take them home as a reminder. The Christlike qualities that we can express can be a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (5.2), and as that fragrance spreads out from us, a witness to others, too. We can be – excuse the pun – s(c)ent out by God!
Young people
In Ephesians 5.2, Paul talks about us being a “fragrant offering” and “imitators of God”. As a fun way in to talking about this, you could play, “Smells like celebrity spirit”…
Look up the catalogue of celebrity fragrances on any shopping website, for example The Fragrance Shop (https://www.thefragranceshop.co.uk/celebrity-fragrances.aspx) Read out some of the descriptions of the scents, without revealing the name of the scent or the look of the bottle. Ask the group to guess who the celebrity is. It’s pretty difficult! (If you’ve got time you could even try to get hold of some tester strips for some of the perfumes.) Notice that often as well as describing the smell, the blurb will include descriptions of character qualities. Perhaps of the celebrity – or perhaps just of the person the buyer might want to be?
Next, try writing your own ‘celebrity scent’ sales patter. How would you like to smell – and more importantly, what character qualities would you hope people could sense – and might want to imitate – in you, one of the “beloved children” of God?
Byline
Rebecca Froley was the web editor of ROOTS when it first launched and now works in business information publishing. She attends her local Baptist church.
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ROOTS publishes weekly lectionary-based worship and learning resources online and in two magazines.