Tag: smell

Celebrating the gift of smell 

31st May 2025

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. Psalm 45:7b, 8a

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A reading from the Song of Songs 4:13-14 

Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices— a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon.

Praise be to God for the gift of smell:

Summer sweet smells,

the spiced scent of roses, 

the honey sweetness of lime blossom, 

the calming fragrance of lavender. 

The morning’s scents of dew damp grass, 

of hay in the noon day’s heat, 

the evening’s languid aroma of honeysuckle 

draws in the smells of night.

The burnt earth smell of bracken, 

the pungent smell of the first rains.

The slip-sliding smell of fresh water, 

the salty tang of the sea.


The simple – overlooked? – nose 

plays host to an olfactory banquet, 

attuning us to the time of day, 

the seasons and the weather.

Picking up signals 

that suggest delight or warn of danger,

that pique our appetite, 

and speak of attraction, reward and love.

Praise be to God for the gift of smell.


Ever present God, 

bless our mindfulness, 

our ability to sense your presence,  

to find you in the smells of the everyday, 

to relish the delights than come less often. 

Ever present God, 

be with those surrounded by the smell of war and fear, 

of destruction and decay.

Breathe compassion 

into the hearts of those who wage war, 

and those who make peace. 

Ever present God, be with those 

surrounded with pollution and those who breath acrid air.

Bless the work of all who create green spaces, 

whose living organisms purify the air.

Lend strength to those who protect the environment 

and those who seek a cleaner way of life.

Ever present God, be with those 

in need of healing in body, mind and spirit.

May they breathe out all that causes harm 

and breathe in all that is wholesome. 

Inspire and renew us one and all 

with the sweet fragrance of your Spirit. 

Amen.

Taste and see – God is good!

17th August 2024

O taste and see that the Lord is good Psalm 34:8a

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Isaiah 55:1-3 (The Message translation)

Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
    the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

A response:

Listen; attune your ears – what do you hear? 

The excited chatter of children,

and the chatter of jackdaws,

wind rustling the leaves,

and feet tapping the road.

Or the drone of cars – too much!

Or the whine of planes – too many!

Look; focus your vision – what do you see?

a lacework of branches against the sky,

and curvaceous clouds,

tawny shades of fallen leaves,

and the tight curl of a snail shell.

Or traffic crawling bumper to bumper – too much

Or discarded tatters of plastic – too many!

Stretch; bare your skin – what do you feel?

The warm caress of the sun, 

the chilly nip of the breeze,

the prickle of grass,

the textured bark of a tree

Or the rasp of exhaust in your throat – too much!

Or the scratch of particulates in your eyes – too many!

Sniff; breathe deeply – what do you smell?

The aroma of fresh coffee,

and the zest of orange juice,

the fragrance of the last rose,

and the warmth of ground spices.

Or the reek of petrol – too much!

Or the sting of pesticides – too many!

Savour; let it linger on your tongue – what do you taste?

The fresh acidity of an apple, 

and the earthy satisfaction of bread,

the squashy sweetness of banana,

and the melting delight of chocolate.

Or the fake sweetness of green wash – too much!

Or the gall of climate injustice- too many !

Merciful God, 

bring us to  our senses.

Help us rebuild a world 

of right experiences.

Amen.