Scents, Senses & Cinnamon Chocolate Cake . . .

The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part),  and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you.  And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord.  Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.” Exodus 30:34-38

I made a mistake. I promise you I was only running into Hobby Lobby to look at a piece of fabric for a quilting project. It was a hundred degrees outside and the calendar said July 30th; how was I to know I was running into fall. And winter. I wasn’t prepared for glass pumpkins, Christmas puzzles, and the aroma of Pumpkin Spice. I left the store with my quilt backing and two sachets of Pumpkin Spice Potpourri. For the rest of the day all I could think of was turkey, pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole. Is it too early to decorate for fall?

Whether you love pumpkin spice or hate it, when the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves fill the air other senses are ignited. The fragrance is unmistakable and transports me instantly to cooler temperatures, holidays and counters filled with baked goods. Suddenly I’m making lists for parties, planning surprises and counting the days until Christmas.

I think God, who created us, understands the connection between our noses and our memories. In the book of Exodus, God instructs Moses to create a perfume, an incense, a scent that will be specifically and only for the altar. Every morning and every evening Aaron and his sons were to burn this incense on the altar. It was holy. Created for a holy God. A fragrant reminder to the priests that though the job they did happened daily, routinely, normally, there was nothing normal about God and their job.

Twice in the Exodus passage God reiterates the role of this incense. Exodus 31-33 says, “And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.” Two other verses in this passage emphasize only offering holy incense on the altar. God was clear; the command absolute, offer only this specific blend of perfume. Use it only on the altar, it is holy, all offenders are to be cut off from their people.

Even in His holiness God offers a chance for people to draw close to Him. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, other worldly, completely set apart and holy, yet He desires relationship with His creation. He offers love and forgiveness, mercy and justice, peace and His presence. He offers that daily, routinely, normally; but He is anything but routine.

I love my church, but being a part of the protestant tradition that is not liturgical, I fear we sometimes make God a bit too casual. We have lost the holy fragrance the priests offered on the altar. We have made God normal and routine, scheduled for Sundays and Wednesdays. We have lost the awe and wonder of worshipping the Holy God of all creation.

I am convicted and challenged by the fact that one trip into Hobby Lobby captures my attention more than a Sunday morning worship service. Do I have the same level of anticipation and excitement about meeting with God that I have in thinking about pumpkin spice season? Do I see my relationship with God and my role in His kingdom as important enough to merit a daily burning of incense?

What do I mean by that, you ask?! I Peter 2:5 tells us “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” You and I are the holy priesthood, offering sacrifices, lifting up that holy fragrance, reminded daily and reminding others daily that God is Holy. God loves us, He chose to draw near to us by offering His son to cover our sins. How can I be casual about that?! How does relationship with God become so mundane as to be normal, instead of miraculous? I think that’s where I need the incense, the reminder that God is so much more than I can comprehend.

A few weeks ago my husband and I walked into a garage that, to me, smelled horrible. “I love this smell,” he commented as I held my nose. Turns out it smelled like his grandfather’s garage. His grandpa has been gone for many years, but my husband was instantly transported back to Massachusetts, playing dominoes with his grandfather as soon as he smelled that garage. May you find ways to remember the holiness of God this week, and may you live in His presence each and every day.

The aroma of chocolate delights my senses and almost always brings thoughts of birthdays. We celebrated a special birthday last week. My mother-in-law turned 95. One of her favorite cakes, Mexican Chocolate Cake, is from The Salem Christian Fellowship Cookbook. In family circles its known as the green cookbook. My copy is in multiple pieces, but here is the recipe for you to try.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

• 1 stick butter or margarine (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 oz. unsweetened bakers chocolate
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour milk
• 2 cups gold Medal flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Place 1 1/2 tsp vinegar in a 1/2 cup measure and fill with milk the rest of the way to create 1/2 cup sour milk. Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine margarine or butter, oil, chocolate and water in a saucepan and heat until butter and chocolate are melted. Allow to cool.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add chocolate liquid and mix well. I mix this recipe by hand, it is fluid enough that a stand mixer is not necessary. Pour batter into greased jelly roll pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until cake tests done. Five minutes before cake is done, prepare frosting. Frosting needs to be poured over cake while it is still warm.

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 oz bakers chocolate
• 6 Tbsp milk
• 1 lb. confectionary sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• chopped pecans optional

Combine butter, chocolate and milk in saucepan and heat until melted and bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat. Add confectionary  sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth, by hand. Pour frosting over warm cake, smoothing it to the edges. Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

This cake is light and the combination of the frosting and cake is delicious. The hint of cinnamon separates it from other chocolate confections.