Garlic In The Church

Garlic in the Church

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:15

We had the pleasure of sharing the life of our church with many university students. After the morning service each Sunday, we would have a fellowship lunch, and various groups were on the roster to cook. One Sunday a group of students from Singapore, Hong Kong, and China prepared one of their cultural dishes for the lunch. The meal was delicious and laced with garlic. Those present loved it, and there were no leftovers!

That night a number of church members who had been at the lunch returned for the evening service, which was held in the chapel a short distance from the dinner hall. Welcoming visitors and others who had not been to the lunch, we noticed their noses twitching, and their eyes seemed to be asking questions their lips would not utter.

Someone asked, “What is that strange and strong smell that met us as we entered the building?”

It was not the flowers, and we do not use incense. Because we who had eaten the meal were saturated by and contributing to the garlic-flavored atmosphere, at first we did not grasp what they were going on about. We were totally unaware of the odor that surrounded us, but others certainly noticed it. That night visitors and regular members entered into a different but aromatic service!

The garlic aroma soon faded. However, the spiritual object lesson has remained to remind us to consider what kind of fragrance our lives are to God and those around us.

—Raymond N. Hawkins

Lord, I often wonder how strong a spiritual fragrance flows in and through me and touches the spiritual noses of others. May I feed my inner life on the manna of heaven so that it permeates my life and makes others hungry for you. Amen.