Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Jan/82

Contributor - Rev. Henry Van Essen

Title - God's Spice Rope

Topic - Women

But thanks be to God who through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere. II Cor. 2:1 4

A spice-rope is a braided or macramed rope with little cloth bags of spices attached to it. It is hung in a closet or kitchen so that the whole area will be filled with the fragrance of the spices.

Now we apostles, says Paul, are God's spice-rope for God, through is, spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in every place where He puts us. We are, says Paul, like those little bags of spices, only we are full of the knowledge of Jesus, and this knowledge, like spices, sends out its own kind of aroma. So wherever we go, there the fragrance of Christ goes.

But not only Paul and his fellow travellers are God's spice-rope; every congregation is meant to be one. Paul prays for the Colossians that they' 4 may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (1:9)". He says of the Christians in Rome that they "are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge ... (15:14)".

Individual Christians are to be like little bags of spices, each giving out its own particular refreshing fragrance, all tied together by the rope of Christian fellowship; thus each congregation is to be God's spice-rope.

Now someone may ask how it happens that we give out this fragrance. Once again the picture of the spices helps; it is not the spices which are spread all over the kitchen, rather the fragrance of the spices. The spices stay in the little bags, but the fragrance gets out and tells about the presence of the spices. In the same way it is not the knowledge of Christ that is spread out from the congregation (like plastering the houses in the community with the Gospel); this knowledge really remains inside amongst the fellowship of believers. Rather it is the fragrance of this knowledge of Christ, which gets out and by its new and refreshing aroma points to this life-giving knowledge. It is the fragrance which becomes the blessing to the area surrounding the congregation; it is also the fragrance which attracts, or sometimes drives away those around a congregation.

How does that fragrance become noticeable? In a number of way. First of all there is the physical presence of the congregation in the community; our church building is seen by all who pass by. This building sends out a message without words. The Cross on the front wall says we preach Christ crucified, risen and coming again. The cut grass, the shrubs and flowers say that these people care for their church building' they think it is important because they care for their Lord. The number of cars around the building on Sunday morning says somewhat how many people consider it important to worship the Lord.

Another way in which the fragrance becomes noticeable is through the presence of the members of the congregation in the community: How is the congregation present? In a kind of standoffish way, like "We are the Christians and you people don't go anywhere, you must yet be converted". Or is it a more positive presence of cheerful participation in community affairs and concerns? Is it a presence which kind of hints at a hope and a life and a joy and a peace beyond the shallowness of ordinary life? Is there co-operation in the efforts trying to up build the community as a whole?

A third way in which the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ become noticeable is through the quality of life of individual members. Only the fragrance of one spice-bag is then noticed rather than the whole spice-rope. Each of our individual lives spreads a certain atmosphere: a joyful one - or a sour one; a contented atmosphere - or a bitter one; a depressed mood - or an optimistic one; a full, brimming-over one - or an empty, sad one. Our marriages do the same thing. The lives of all of us have an impact on those around us. And church members are often identified with their church; they are noticed as spice-bags on a spice-rope.

A fourth way in which the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ becomes noticeable is through the pastor, and his attitude and relationship to the community. Often he is thought to represent the position of the whole congregation. Church building, congregation, individual members and pastor, they all together are used by God as His spice rope in the community.

A much larger problem today is that too often congregations are like spice ropes in clear plastic bags; you can see them, but not smell them unless you crawl into the bag yourself. There is somehow a separation between the community and the spice-rope. There is no openness by the church towards the area around the building. It is true that others, outsiders are invited to smell the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ, but only when certain conditions are met. The spice-rope does not just send forth its fragrance, allowing people to sniff up the aroma from a safe distance, allowing such people to move in closer when they feel comfortable enough to do so, letting people freely grow towards their own decision to become part of the spice-rope themselves. Such churches are customer oriented, hoping to find people who like what such churches have to offer. The community church, however, is to be concerned for all the people in her area. She seeks to be a life-giving fragrance to all people, and rejoices when there is but the slightest indication that the fragrance is noticed and desired. The community church seeks to draw all people by her fragrance of the knowledge of Christ, not for her own sake, but for the sake of the total well-being of all the community.

The congregation is God's instrument for blessing the people around her. Out of her shall flow rivers of living water. And who is to say which one is allowed to drink from this stream and who not? Or to use another biblical picture, the good seed falls, says Jesus, on four kinds of soil, the hardened path, the rocky soil, amidst the thorns and in the good soil. But the sower does not stop sowing because of that. So God's spice-rope spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere, while four kinds of noses are in the world; the senseless nose, the half-plugged nose, the quickly excitable one and the healthy one. Time will tell which is which therefore we dare not say: You here can sniff but you there can't.

Ours is not the task of judging noses, ours is the calling to be God's spice-rope and not in a plastic bag either - it must be out in the open.

This undoubtedly will mean that a variety of people will show some signs of interest; some will come initially and then maybe will back off or lose interest. Some will show great promise, and yet wither away. Some will be drawn in irresistably and eventually themselves become part of God's spice-rope. Again, how can we tell beforehand? It is not we who do the drawing, it is the Lord God who, through us, spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere.

We, as His spice-rope, are but His servants. We do what we believe He would have us do: open the doors, literally and figuratively, for those who want to come in, regardless of who they are, how they come, or where they are at, at that particular moment.

To be God's spice-rope in a wide-open way will, of course, mean that we cannot have everybody neatly catalogued and pegged in various compartments. It will also mean that we will never know where exactly the congregation begins and ends, who belongs to this church and who does not. It will be much more a question of who reckons him/ herself part of this church, part of this parish. Who are we to say, "No, you are not part of us". How do we know whom God is drawing with the fragrance of His spice-rope?

Two matters will be necessary if we are to be God's wide-open spice-rope. One is a great reliance on the Lord God. He spreads the fragrance through us. He is in charge. The Lord Jesus is the only King and Head of His church. WE are HIS church, no one else's, we are not even our own church. We are not a religious club with rules stricter than some but less strict than others. We're His workmanship and seek to walk in obedience to Him. We have this promise of the Lord, "If we walk in the Light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son cleanses us from all sins" (I John 1:7). The purity of fellowship is maintained, not by rules which exclude, but by walking in the Light of His Word. We must trust the Lord of maintain His flock like a shepherd.

The second matter necessary to be God's wide-open spice-rope in this community is our responsibility to send forth as strong a fragrance as possible. And since the fragrance is the result of the knowledge of Christ, it will be the responsibility of all of us to grow in this grace and in this knowledge. Fresh spices must be added regularly; there is no time to relax and expect the same knowledge of Christ of ten years ago, stored away, to send farther the fragrance as fresh as ever. For the secret of the knowledge of Christ is this: abiding in Him and He in us. For, says Jesus, "apart from Me you can do nothing". Each of us is to be a spice-bag on God's spice-rope; each of us therefore is to walk with the Lord through His Word and prayer, so that each of us may become that particular mixture of spices which contributes its part to the full fragrance of the knowledge of Christ.

Being God's spice-rope in this community is a solemn challenge to us all, which we can only strive to meet by earnestly desiring to become the person, the family and the congregation that God wants us to be. When we strive for that, we may confidently leave the results in the hands of Him who uses us to spread the knowledge of His Son everywhere.

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