The perfume

To enter a Universal Church is like entering my own home. The smell of wood and oil, mixed with the grape juice smell coming from the campaign room is always the same. At least for me it is. I have a very clear memory of that smell, as soon as I smell it, I get transported back to my safe place. It reminds me of all the strength and peace I've received when I ran to the altar, during times of need.
At times, I cannot tell you how much this scent has become symbolic to me. The wood representing the cross, sacrifice, my relationship with God, my relationship with my husband, the two bars that are vital to my foundation. The grape juice, which represents the blood of Jesus and reminds me that I was bought for a price and that if I make a mistake, I won’t be condemned because He now lives in me. And finally, the oil, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, who comforts and guides me, transforms me into an important part of the Altar. When this scent involves me, it reminds me that I am not alone, that I am at home with my Father. Anywhere I go, I feel like I am at home. Whenever I’m in His presence, I'm at home. And as long as the Universal Church keeps its doors open, I will be at home. Wherever I smell that unique scent, I feel like I'm at home.
It is not a religion, it is not a place to keep certain customs, or a temple where I feel good. It is something completely spiritual. At the Universal Church, I do not feel at home, I am at home. And the love I have for the God I found here, I also have for this place. Not the physical building, because all this will remain here when we're gone. It’s the love I have for what this place represents. The Altar. The sacrifice. A life with God, with constant sacrifice. Day after day. I have never seen this anywhere else, especially in any other church. Before, I did not understand.
It's what David meant when he said: "Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells" (Psalm 26.8) And we begin to understand him when he says in Psalm 84.1-3: "How lovely is Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young – even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God!" The swallow's nest is where she finds the security to keep the things she holds most precious: her young.
These are the Lord’s Altars for those who are truly His children. The security, peace, strength... The world may be falling apart outside, you may be judged for every word you say, you can be threatened, ridiculed, trampled on and torn down, but you are safe on the Altar. Our nest, our security, our home is the Altar. The Altars are represented by each Universal Church that is opened, throughout the world. Altars are places of sacrifice. This is where we find our strength, our safety. This is where we receive Life and many others are led to receive Life. The wellspring flows from the Altar.
We surrender our life, for love, but that is because He laid down His life for us first. On the Altar. On the cross. Wood that exudes the perfume mixed with oil and grape juice which, for me, is the Universal Perfume. It is the best scent in the world, which reminds me of sacrifice. It reminds me that everything, absolutely everything, even what seems to be most difficult (because doing what is right is never easy), is worth.