To make his mother happy, he sometimes went to church with her, and afterwards he was always invited home to mom's good meat pots. And slowly - without him even realizing it - he became part of the church parking team. He got involved!
And slowly - again without him even realizing it - his life took a turn. Not dramatically overnight (as he would have liked), but it turned into less drinking and fighting, and over time it turned into a steady job, good habits in life, and he became a Christian. He loves his new life and following the Lord of life.
He had a desire to witness to others: he wanted to smell of Christ, as he said. And at first I thought, yes, we must be a Christ-witness with our life and work. And yes, we must be close to our Savior to smell Him and for His fragrance to be transferred to us. But it doesn't stop there. Jesus offers both a loving invitation and, when needed, a stern call to repentance.
Paul has the same thought in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, where he says: "We are the fragrance of Christ to God among those who are saved and among those who perish - to those who perish, a fragrance of death to death, to those who are saved, a fragrance of life to life."
May we carry this life-giving yet serious Christ scent in our everyday lives!
Anders Graversen holds a Master's degree in Theology, was for seven years head of the International Christian Center in Bethesda in Copenhagen and started as parish priest at Kingos Church in Nørrebro on 1 December 2018.
