The ANGEL TRUMPET
If you wander through my garden, you will encounter my prized plant, Brugmansia or the Angel Trumpet. This showy shrub is a beauty. The long horn-shaped flowers hang gracefully from each branch. The flowers are the “angels’ trumpets” facing down toward the earth, a reference to the trumpets of judgement of The Revelation.
The colorful, delicate flowers draw people near to touch and admire them. However, the best part of Brugmansia, is the fragrance. During the day, it’s a show of shape and color, but as the sun sets, sweet perfume fills the air. Through the dark night, the flowers are releasing fragrance everywhere, beckoning every nearby nose to come and enjoy.
Beauty in the day, fragrance at night, the Angel Trumpet calls out to our senses
WE ARE LIKE ANGEL TRUMPETS
In many senses Christians are like Angel Trumpets! In the day, others see our good works and know they can only come from our Father. We love and share and serve and pray. We ‘do’ the Word of God and it is lovely in the eyes of others. Jesus said,
16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men
so they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
Tree of Life Version
How we live in the earth as Christians is a testimony of the divinity of Jesus in us. While it is still ‘day,’ our lives show the beauty of Jesus as we conform ourselves to be like Him.
We live in the Age of Grace and we serve Jesus openly, but day turns to night and the darkness is growing. Most people believe we are in that season of change.
We watch for Jesus, our soon-coming King, yet while waiting we witness darkness spreading over the earth and deep darkness over the people. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
When Jesus healed the blind man, (John 9) He mentioned this transition and urged His followers to do the work of God, while we still have time. He said,
4 “We must do the work of the One who sent Me,
so long as it is day!
Night is coming when no one can work.”
John 9:4
Tree of Life Version
Deep darkness is fast spreading, and the night is soon here. How will we work for God? How will hurting people find Jesus?
Just like flowers releasing fragrance in the night, we release the sweet aroma of Jesus, so they can find Him.
SO HOW DO WE SMELL?
Paul teaches us about aroma, using two Greek words. The first generically means ‘odor,’ but the one associated with Jesus, THAT ONE is SWEET PERFUME!
14 But thanks be to God, who in Messiah always leads us in triumphal procession,
and through us reveals everywhere
the aroma of the knowledge of Himself.
15 For we are the aroma of Messiah to God,
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing –
16 to the one an aroma from death to death,
to the other and aroma from life to life.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Tree of Life Version
The sweet fragrance of the Angel Trumpets draws people to come close. As we live out an intimate relationship with the Lord, others can smell Him on us and come close to experience His fragrance. The more we are in fellowship with Jesus, the more we carry His fragrance.
I like to use the example of my husband. When he leaves for work in the morning, he always kisses my cheek. Long after he is gone, I can smell his perfume on my face and I remember him with love in my heart. Because of his kiss, I carry his fragrance for hours.
The more time I spend abiding in Jesus, the more I carry His perfume on me. I want to carry enough so others can smell Him too.
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Paul teaches the fragrance of Jesus spreads everywhere through us, as we follow Him in victory!
He leans into the Roman picture of the returning military hero, leading a grand parade in triumph. He inserts King Jesus into that picture for us. It is Jesus Who has already won every battle. Jesus conquered the prince of the power of the stinky air and humiliated him.
Jesus gives victory over sin and death to all who believe. He leads us, we follow. I can imagine such a parade, where we are the people dancing behind our King, throwing sweet flowers into the crowd everywhere, rejoicing!
Jesus is releasing fragrance THROUGH US as we FOLLOW HIM. His aroma spreads everywhere, so others can come to KNOW HIM too.
SPREADING FRAGRANCE
We don’t create perfume through our good works or good character. No! It’s Messiah’s aroma on us that is flowing out to the others all around.
Have you walked through the perfume section of a department store? Fragrances abound. Choosing the one, numbs your nose. Eventually you cannot discern one fragrance from another.
When we all offer our own version of the aroma of Jesus, we numb people’s noses. It’s not about us creating a fragrance, it’s daily embracing Jesus and His sacrifice for us.
His perfume is the victory of the cross. There’s only one way to get it and you can’t buy it!
SWEET SMELLING SACRIFICES
God’s nose is in this mix! Paul says we are the sweet aroma of Messiah to God. Our aroma rises to God. He is pleased when He smells Jesus.
This reminds me of Noah after the terrifying judgement of the flood. When Noah came out of the ark, he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt sacrifices. (Genesis 8)
Scripture says that when God smelled the “soothing aroma” rising to heaven, He decided in His heart to never curse the ground or living creatures again. The smell of the burnt sacrifice appeased the heart of God.
The Old Testament describes burnt offerings as ‘sweet aroma’ rising to God, a foreshadow of Jesus.
Jesus gave His life for all of us as the final sacrifice for sin. The sweet perfume of His sacrifice in love, made the Way for us to get back to Father God.
1 Therefore be imitators of God
as dearly loved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved us
and gave Himself up for us as an offering
and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma
Ephesians 5:1-2
Tree of Life Version
As God looks down upon us, His reconciled children, He sees the blood of the Lamb and smells the sweet aroma of His Son and is pleased.
LIVING SACRIFICES
You and I who follow Jesus, truly live and yet each day, we carry a cross. Sin rears its ugly head and daily we put it down.
In Romans 12 Paul urges us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. He tells us not to be conformed to the kingdoms of this world, but to be changed by renewing our mind with the scriptures.
Being a sacrifice, I lay down my agendas and fear and anything that causes me to get up and fight with God. If I desire to be the sweet perfume of Jesus, then a surrender of self is crucial.
You see, I am releasing fragrance all the time with words and actions.
Sadly, I often release the sounds of the broken kingdoms of this world. I find myself complaining and speaking negativity and doubt. So often I forget the words of scripture and the hope of resurrection power in Jesus.
And that is just what I release with my tongue!
Sometimes, I release even worse smells with emotional reactions. Anger, impatience, bitterness, jealousy, competition, these are stink producers!
I am releasing fragrance like 2-week-old kidney beans or rotten fish in the garbage. It seems my life is not the triumph of Jesus, but the ‘old man’ walking and talking.
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit pulls me back, corrects me, giving me power to change course. The perfume rises in my repentance and surrender to the work and will of Father God in my life. I work it out with fear and trembling because I want to make my Father happy and be that sweet perfume.
EVERYONE SMELLS US
As we walk with Jesus, we are releasing fragrance. However, not everyone thinks we smell good. To those around us who are ‘being saved’ the aroma of Jesus is ‘life.’ These people are drawn to Him like the fragrance of Angel Trumpets in the night.
To those who hate God and are ‘perishing,’ the aroma of Jesus smells like ‘death,’ like old kidney beans and rotten fish. They reject Him.
We cannot tell who is who? We can’t discern who will ultimately come to Jesus or ultimately reject Him.
Like a perfume bottle, we have the sweet smell of our Savior inside. We open ourselves to others around us in love, spreading fragrance. The sweetest release is living a surrendered life and joyfully following Him in the parade!
DELIVERANCE
Lastly, as I thought of the name of this article “RELEASING FRAGRANCE,” I realized there are two ways to understand the phrase.
Releasing is an action verb. We are RELEASING Fragrance.
However, it can also be used as an adjective. We carry a RELEASING Fragrance.
As I pondered this, I realized the sweet perfume of Jesus released through our walk with Him possesses POWER!
It has power to be a sweet fragrance of DELIVERANCE to hurting people all around us. As they come close to check it out, Jesus can deliver them from the power of the kingdom of darkness and welcome them into the Kingdom of Light.
The Trumpets are in the angels’ hands. The darkness is spreading.
Let’s release His sweet perfume into the darkness to draw the others to Jesus.
GROWING ANGEL TRUMPETS
https://www.marthastewart.com/8118433/angel-trumpet-flower-guide
NIGHT FLOWERS
https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/15-fascinating-flowers-that-bloom-only-at-night-52160/
OTHER FRAGRANT IAF Articles!
An Offering. Broken, Mangled, and Infused With the Fragrance of Love
What a neat picture of the Christian life!