2 Corinthians 2
A word association quiz. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the following names?
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
David Wright
Christian
According to the book, UnChristian, the next generation has a largely negative response to the last word, "Christian." Our favorability is only 3% with the next generation. In terms of smell, the world considers Christians rotten eggs.
The Apostle Paul challenged the early Christians to be a sweet aroma in their culture. Our task is to consider how we can become that sweet fragrance in the city of Stamford. The key is generously sharing the love and grace of God with people. When God's love and grace flows through us it becomes the sweet perfume of hope and life. The only way for us to reclaim our culture is for Christians to smell better.
I heard a story that illustrates this point. A 10-year-old boy was part of a dysfunctional family. Every night at dinner they would fight and scream at each other for the entire time. This young boy came up with a plan to deal with the pain. He would eat his dinner as fast as he could and then he would leave the table and his house. He would actually go down to a Christian family's house in the neighborhood and sit under their porch as they ate their dinner meal. There he would hear laughter, encouragement and love flowing through their words. The fragrance of joy filled their dining room. This young boy longed to be part of that family.
But what if one night the family had said, "Hey, why don't you join us around the table?" That invitation would have been the fragrance of life to that boy. That invitation could have transformed his future.
The mission is clear: become that sweet fragrance in our families and church and then invite people to join us.
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