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Scents of Christmas

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

“Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.’”

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.” (Exodus 30:22-38)

Myrrh: a fragrant gum used for embalming

Calamus: a sweet cane, AKA Sweet Flag

Cassia: a spice, possibly cinnamon. the aromatic bark of an East Asian tree, yielding an inferior kind of cinnamon which is sometimes used to adulterate true cinnamon.

Onycha: A component of the sacred ointment, made from the shells of a species of mussel, possessing an odor

Galbanum: A fragrant gum used in the sacred oil

Before I get started, a quick note about the cinnamon and cassia. According to my Bible platform, cassia probably “is cinnamon.” That doesn’t make sense because the recipe also calls for cinnamon. But cassia is used as an alternative to cinnamon. It might have a scent that is just enough different from cinnamon to make the scent more complex. It may also have had to do with the availability of cinnamon and cassia at the time. I don’t know, but that makes more sense than a recipe that calls for 250 shekels of cinnamon and 500 shekels of cinnamon.

But, now, the reason I’m sharing this passage is because an advent devotional asked a question. I’ve already muddied the water with the passage but take a deep breath to clear your olfactory mind. What are the aromas of Christmas to you? I don’t want to make more suggestions but just think about it – maybe make a list. Are there any recipes you reserve for the Christmas season?

The sense of smell is closely connected in the brain with areas that involve memories and emotion. Scents can awaken or calm emotions and produce a sense of well-being. At the risk of influencing your thinking more, the scent of cinnamon can reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, increase feelings of warmth and comfort, help with focus, enhance memory, and reduce impulsivity. Imagine then, the effect of entering the temple, and being around priests who were anointed with it. Now, what scents to you want wafting through your temple (your soul)?

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