This text uses the traditional perfume-making process of enfleurage as a metaphor for Christian baptism. Just as flowers' essence gradually infuses fat and alcohol to create perfume, baptism begins a lifelong process where believers absorb Christ's character and "aroma," becoming witnesses whose spirit reflects compassion, mercy, generosity, and courage. As such Christians can develop a "smell test" to be able to assess the truth of what others tell them.
It takes eight-ten thousand flowers to make one kilogram of perfume. That’s a lot of flowers!
The city of Grasse in Provence, France is a center for the production of those flowers and has been for over five centuries. Because of its high altitude, it can cultivate even the most delicate plants—mimosas, lavenders, and even tropicals like jasmines.
Making perfume by hand isn’t common today; it’s too labor intensive. But the old way is tried and true—and fascinating. It’s called enfleurage, and it works on the principle that some animal fats can absorb the aromas that surround them. For example, butter left uncovered in the refrigerator will take on the scent of the uncovered pineapple sitting beside it. That’s the idea behind enfleurage.
Sheets of glass on wooden frames are coated with fat. Flowers are placed between the stacked trays and are left that way for as long as they’re fresh. Spent petals will be changed out for new ones. Many times over. As time passes, the fat on the glass is saturated with the fragrance of the flowers.
Next, the fat is removed and mixed with alcohol, and beaten for a week. During that time, ever so gradually, the fragrance migrates from the fat to the alcohol. And the mixture becomes the aroma of the flower.
Today, all the world over, Christians stand witness to an ancient ritual by which we become the aroma of Christ. In the rite of baptism, Christ invites God’s spirit to take possession of us: to enliven us, to empower us, to form us as we are meant to be.
So, what does this mean? It means that our essence merges with God’s essence—with God’s spirit—to create something altogether new.
In the last step of enfleurage, the alcohol mixture is aged for a period of time. That can take up to a year. The masters knew that making perfume required time and care, and they would never cut it short.
And neither should we. Taking on the aroma of Christ is a process that begins at baptism and then lasts for the rest of our lives.
In the flower-cultivating villages of France, legend tells that laborers returned home from their workday with the sweet smell of their profession deeply embedded in them. On their shirts. On their coats. In their very pores. It went before them. It followed after them. And the village became sweet with their fragrance. Giving pleasure and richness to their lives. Announcing to everyone what their community was about.
So, what are we about? Our spirit goes before us too, whether we intend that or not. It follows after us. It hangs about us.
Shouldn’t we be paying attention to what our spirit signifies?
Does it give evidence that we belong to God, and that we’re a new creation?
Does it reflect the character of Christ as revealed to us in scripture—in his words, in his works of wonder, in his relentless acts of compassion?
Is it merciful—or grace-less?
Is it generous—or mean-in-spirit?
Is it long-suffering—or care-less and impatient?
Is it courageous—or fearful, cowed in the face of challenge?
The model that Christ laid out for us also provides the standards that could help us to suss out what is true and to determine whom we can trust. Knowing what or who is true may not be easy but it needn’t be complicated, even in these difficult days of cultural and political turmoil. Maybe it’s just a matter of applying a simple sniff test to what we are sensing: is it the notes of Christ that we are picking up on…or do we smell a rat?
Good question for us. But it also applies to those who lead us and to those we choose to work alongside. It’s a good question to ask about anyone we allow voice and influence in our lives.
In the meantime, we must keep in mind the challenge of our own baptismal vows clearly laid out for us in the Baptismal Covenant that we will share in a moment. It is our mandate for the lifelong process of defining ourselves—and identifying what we are to trust, who we are to follow. As individuals, as a community of faith, and as part of the boundless body of Christ.
