Fragrance of Real Value

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2

Oh, the sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, the inviting smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning and the newly cut grass on a warm Saturday afternoon. Just as there are comfort foods, there are certain smells that touch the deepest parts of your soul.

McDonald’s fully grasps the power of smells. Fast food giant McDonald’s launched a new and rather quirky marketing campaign in the Netherlands. They have found a way to recreate the smell of their fries through a billboard. According to a company press release, “For decades, McDonald’s has seduced taste buds around the globe, making it one of the most beloved and recognizable brands out there. But the brand realized that there’s something just as memorable for consumers as their golden arches, products, or jingle: their smell.”

McDonald’s Netherlands placed a series of plain yellow and red billboards in Utrecht and Leiden that appear blank until passers-by are within a few feet and they are greeted by the distinct aroma of McDonald’s French Fries coming from inside the billboard. The billboards were strategically placed to trigger cravings close to a restaurant. “When every brand is targeting eyeballs, McDonald’s targets noses.”

Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, CMO McDonald’s Netherlands, states: “McDonald’s is all about Good Times. We are well known for our distinctive brand assets that they are mostly visual. Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images. With the inclusion of this next sense in our advertising, we found a new way to remind people of Good Times at McDonald’s.” (McDonald’s press release)

What value does the world put on a scent? For McDonald’s, it is worth millions if people are triggered to buy their food. For the wealthy, it may be a bottle of Clive Christian No. 1 which holds the title for the most expensive perfume that retails at $2,350 per ounce. However, far more extravagant is the value that God places upon the incense that comes from those who worship Him.

Living in a broken and ugly world we can become Christ’s aroma.  We become an aroma that attracts some to life but repels others. For those attracted, we become life.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (2 Cor 2:14-15)

Living in a broken and ugly world we can become the incense of prayer. God hears the prayers of his followers who stand in the gap of hopelessness. What a beautiful and powerful picture of heavenly hosts holding golden bowls of the incense of prayers that may seem weak to us but are received by God as a sweet aroma.  “Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” (Rev 5:8)

Living in a broken and ugly world we can become the aroma of worship. Jesus facing the closing days of his earthly ministry, was preparing his disciples when Mary interrupted the dinner in an act of worship. Pouring a bottle of expensive perfume upon Jesus, it became a holy time of worship. A costly fragrance that would have lingered for days reminding house guests of Jesus.  “And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (ref John 12:1-11)

It would be the sweet smell of worship that would stir God’s heart for Noah. As Noah and his family walked out of the Ark to begin again, he would first stop and worship. It was through his act of worship that “The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” (Gen 8:21)

Smells can bring comfort, disgust, and warning depending upon the source. Freshly baked bread will stir hunger while the smell of rotten eggs alerts us to a natural gas leak. Yet as incenses rise to God from our acts of worship and prayer, what a beautiful reminder of who we are in God. We can become the fragrance that permeates all of life for Jesus. An aroma of worship that reminds us of our hope and future in God. Are we the fragrance of life or death?

These words from CeCe Winans song, Worthy Of It All, “Day and night, night and day, let incense arise” remind us of prayerful worship:

“All the saints and angels bow before Your throne

All the elders cast their crowns before the Lamb of God and sing

Lord, You’re worthy

From the rising of the sun to the going down of the sun

Day and night, night and day, let incense arise

Day and night, night and day, let incense arise

You are worthy of it all” (CeCe Winans, Worthy of It All https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oKYx0PXz5I

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. (Daily prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta)

Together we can become Christ’s sweet fragrance, bringing life to a broken and ugly world.

God is great!