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Clara Chan

PERFUMED COLLECTIONS

Recently I chanced upon a delightful store of perfume that contained everything a perfume collector would dream of - endless rows of perfumed oil and glimmering bottles of scents waiting to be personalised for their next owners. As I succumbed to the temptation of my shopping addiction and parted ways with the myriad of scents, I noticed parallels between those perfumes and the Church of our Lord.


Just as there were countless unique scents awaiting the next connoisseur, so are there numerous different personalities in Church, all distinct from each other. However, grouped together, they are all known as “perfumes”, just as 1 Cor 12:12 mentioned, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” 


Logically, different personalities also entail members possessing different talents, just as some scents are better at emitting sweeter notes while others are on the muskier side. Matthew 25’s Parable of the Talents perfectly elucidates how individuals possess different talents to different degrees, and equally important, the right use of talents to serve the Lord. Similarly, no perfume, however nice-smelling, would be of use to the owner if it were not to be used. Therefore, instead of wasting our talents away, let us endeavour to serve the Lord with our God-given talents (James 1:17). 


According to the science of perfume making, almost all perfumes would contain top, middle, and bottom notes; the smell that hits our noses first would be the top notes, and as time passes, the scent evolves into the middle and bottom notes. In some aspects, different members also stand out more in various times and circumstances, such as preachers being more prominent during lectureships, and Bible Class teachers being in the spotlight during Holiday Bible school. However, such eminence is not to be confused with the importance of the member or his/her role, as all members are important for the functioning of the Church. On the contrary, 


If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? (1 Cor 12:15-19). 


Alas, 1 Cor 12:27 resolves this problem, “​​Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” Let us appreciate and celebrate our unique roles in the Church and help one another out, knowing that we are working together towards the same goal of saving lost souls and going to Heaven. 


Different notes, no matter how contrasting they are, can be mixed to create more dimensional scents, just as how members of the Church can work together to serve God more efficiently. Having additional help has it benefits, as expounded in Ecc 4:9-12: 


Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.


Mat 18:19-20 also highlights the effective prayer of more than one individual, and we certainly can apply this principle as we practise praying for one another. 


“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”


Indeed, the idea of “the more the merrier” could be applied to Church-related work, provided of course there is structure and organisation instead of a messy workload distribution. Still, the ability to do more is exponentially increased if more come together in times of need or in any areas of service. This is a worthy consideration as the new year starts and new areas of service appear. 


Therefore, do consider the following:

  1. In the Parable of the Talents in Mat 25, what happened to the servants who utilised and did not utilise their talents well?

  2. As stated in Ecc 4, what are the benefits of having companions with you along the Christian journey?

  3. Just as how certain perfumes have a signature scent, what is your signature “scent” that 

    1. can win others to Christ? 

    2. be used to serve the Lord greatly?


Answers:

Qn 1:

  • 5 talents and 2 talents → praised by the master (‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’) and from their own ingenuity, was rewarded with the same amount they received in the first place 

  • 1 talent → reprimanded sternly and his talent taken away (‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.)


Qn 2:

  • Assistance during obstacles, warmth, defence and protection (Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.)


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