you smell

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. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Today is the beginning of Lent, and the timing of the Scripture that Wright has selected for the first day couldn’t be better. The next several weeks abound with various ministry events. And before this morning, they weren’t much more than that… events. The preparation for these various opportunities was becoming overwhelming.  I can so easily forget the event is not the end goal, but that the events are simply the context in which ministry might (or might not) happen.  I was in that place that I sometimes find myself in not seeing the forest for the trees.

One of the things I appreciate about Wright is his turn of phrase, and the sentence that will stay with me (hopefully, longer than just today) is… “Paul is deeply aware that his vocation is to be the living embodiment of the outpoured love of God in Christ.” I’m hoping and praying for that awareness in my own life today, and that I will recognize that every thing I do (and the way in which I do it) is a reflection of how in touch I am with that particular vocation.

So, in every phone call, email, conversation, interaction with wife/children/coworkers/ministry leaders/students, I hope to be the living embodiment of God’s love. In every piece of trash picked up, mile driven, meal prepared, I hope to recognize that it is all part of being the fragrance of Christ.