The Pleasing Aroma of Christ…and Cookies (plus a recipe)

We are a few weeks out from Easter and I’ve been studying the words Jesus spoke when he appeared to his disciples after his death and resurrection. He talked to many people and told them things that he wanted to make sure they knew. In John 20:21 he informed his disciples: As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And in Matthew 28:19 he gave them a job. Go and make disciples of all nations. Since then, Christ-followers have pondered the best way to take this commission seriously and to actually do it.

There are people very dear to my heart who have sold everything and moved to another country to share Christ. Others have become pastors, teachers, or leaders in non-profit ministries. Some have fed the poor, visited women in jail, or given money to help others. There are those who write, others who gather people, and some who simply love their neighbors. These are all wonderful ways to model and share the grand truth of God’s love and grace.

There are times when I wonder how it was that my siblings and I came to love Christ in the way we do, coming from the brokenness in our family. I guess I have to look to our first example, our mother. As we grew, we experienced the way she lived and the way she “told” others about Jesus. Her tools were two teacups, a pot of tea, her dining room table, a bit of time, and a listening ear. Not much talk of Jesus, really. Just a lot of love, listening, and later, praying in secret.

Just recently, I witnessed another gentle way of sharing the love of Christ.

Last week a friend of ours came to our house, holding a bag from Dairy Queen, and asking to see our guests from Germany. As we gathered in the living room, he started by telling us that he feels close to God when he takes communion, when he is eating the bread and drinking the juice. He went on to say that we can feel that closeness whenever we eat or drink. The Bible, he told us, says that whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do it all for the glory of God! He went on to say that whenever we sit at the table and eat, we can feel close to God and know that He loves us. In fact, he said, as he handed the bag to our friends, here are some Dilly Bars. When you taste that sweet taste of the ice cream and chocolate, remember that YOU are the sweet fragrance of Jesus and when God sees you eating to his glory, it is like he takes a big whiff and smiles because he is enjoying the “smell” of Jesus in you.

I wonder if we smell like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to God?

Probably not, but we can try to imagine what it must feel like for God to “smell” the aroma of Christ.

Perhaps you can imagine yourself, when you were young, coming home from school. Tired and hungry, you were wondering what you could possibly find to eat in the fridge. Stepping into the kitchen, you find your mom (or grandma) taking a pan of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

Stop and picture yourself standing there, mesmerized by the fact that she’s baking at 4:00 in the afternoon, and then zero in on the smell that is like no other! The smell receptors in your nose detect the scent and send it straight to your dizzy brain and while there, you wonder how you can stand the richness and warmth of the moment any longer. You must have a cookie now!

Mom gives you the go-ahead and you grab a hot one from the pan and sink your teeth into all that gooey warmth slowly savoring the sweetness, the chewiness, the satisfyingness, and the pure joy of what you are tasting. With a fresh-from-the-oven cookie in one hand and a cup of hot coffee or cold milk in the other, you begin to believe that you have reached the very top of Mount Wonderful and will never again feel the need for anything more satisfying for the rest of your life.

Of course, this is not true, because as you finish one, you have to reach for another. Just one will not do it! You must have another to fully satisfy your taste buds with the mingling smells and tastes of brown sugar, oatmeal, and shiny melted chocolate. Finally, your lightheaded glory forces you to stop, take a breath, and savor that which is now in your belly.

I can testify that this is true. One day, as I was making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, our little four-year-old guest from Germany stepped into the kitchen, took a deep breath, and with shining eyes, proclaimed in lovely German-accented English, “Yummy!” And he hadn’t taken a bite yet! He was only smelling the wonderful aroma of baking cookies.

Yes, there is nothing quite like it. Even the memory of the smell lingers in our minds. (Are you, at this moment, hankering for one of those cookies?)

In 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, Paul writes,

But thanks be to God who always leads us…and uses us to

spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

For we are the pleasing aroma of Christ…

I’m thinking that this verse tells us that God leads us and uses us to spread the aroma (the truth, the love) of Christ everywhere. And that scent is sweet to him because it is making Christ as irresistible as the smell of freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Do you think he’s happy? Just like our little German friend, I’m sure God declares, “YUMMY!”

When our friend left the house that afternoon, I thought about the sweetness of his gentle sharing. He left a lovely fragrance that has lingered, even now as I write about it. What he did, made me curious about his kindness and the creative way he shared the love of Christ. He spoke out a gentle truth and left a treat for us with no shaming, no guilting, and no assuming. It was purely inviting and fun.

That’s how I want to share the love of Christ.

So the next time you taste something sweet or smell something delicious, remember my mom’s gentle invitation to talk over tea, and our friend’s super fun bag of Dilly Bars. As lovers of Christ, when we interact with people, we leave something for them to remember. It lingers. I hope that what stays will be pleasant and interesting … and compelling. I’m sure God likes the “smell” of that too.

**********

And for fun: Here is the recipe for my very favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. As one pan is baking, be sure to take a moment to leave the kitchen and take a stroll around your house. When you return, take a deep breath, savor the scent, and smile, remembering that God smiles when he thinks of Christ in you. Then pack up a plate and take a few to a neighbor.

**********

One other thing: I’m planning to host a Dilly Bar and Chocolate Chip Cookie party for the local folks who subscribe to my blog! If that interests you, sign up at my website and you’ll get in on all the fun.