“They will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29) 

 #livedead  #pray  #Nowruz

The second item we place on our metaphorical Haft Seen table is senjed (سنجد). Senjed is an oleaster olive; it is the sweet, dried fruit from the Lotus tree.

In full bloom, the tree emits a sweet aroma. Folklore suggests that the fruit’s fragrance causes passersby to blissfully fall in love. Furthermore, the scent is said to invigorate one’s brain while the dried fruit also contains various healing properties. Iranians place senjed on their Haft Seen table as a harbinger of love, fertility, and wisdom.

As we place senjed on our table, we consider the correlation with 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV):

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

Dear God, as your children, we carry your fragrance with us everywhere we go. Today, we pray that Christians everywhere would be to Iranians as the senjed is to passersby. May followers of Jesus emit the fragrance of Your presence and radiate Your love. In response, we pray that Iranians will be attracted to the followers of Jesus they encounter, whether or not they are consciously seeking Jesus. May the aroma of Christ pull Iranians towards Christians and ultimately to salvation.