Who remembers this famous brand of perfume? It was all the rage from 1924 to 1980– at least for true perfume aficionados. My Sin (Mon Peche) by Lanvin, was created back in 1924 by a mysterious Russian lady called Madame Zed. Here is its description by professionals who obviously have better noses than mine:
This feminine, provocative and dangerously seductive fragrant composition begins with aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, clary sage and neroli. The middle notes are: ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, clove, orris, lily-of-the-valley, narcissus and lilac. The base is oriental – woody with vetiver, vanilla, musk, woody notes, tolu balm, styrax and civet.
Whatever.
My dad owned a small town drugstore in Ashland. He always carried My Sin (only one bottle of it) but kept it locked up in a glass case along with one tiny bottle of Chanel #5. It was a handy gift possibility for some panic stricken semi-wealthy guy who forgot his wife on Christmas, Valentines Day, their anniversary, or her birthday. It’s amazing what people will pay when faced with the probability of lifelong scorn. I can’t say for sure that I ever smelled the expensive perfume. My mom didn’t wear it; neither did either of my grandmothers. They stuck with Jungle Gardenia, White Shoulders, and Tabu. I might have gotten a whiff of My Sin’s legendary fragrance when some rich lady sashayed through our church foyer, but who knows?
I do remember an episode of I Love Lucy that mentioned My Sin by name. Lucy and Ricky were boarding an ocean liner headed for Europe. Mrs. Trumball, a frumpy old spinster neighbor, went with them to the ship to see them off. She slipped Lucy some cash and said, “I have something I want you to bring back to me from Paris– some expensive French perfume.” “What kind of perfume do you want?” Lucy inquired. Then Mrs. Trumball whispered something into Lucy’s ear. Lucy blurted out, “My Sin?” as the old spinster cringed with embarrassment. It was a funny moment.
Obviously Madame Zed chose the name, My Sin, to best describe her “sensual and dangerously seductive” fragrance. It’s all about marketing. I’m certain it wouldn’t have been wildly successful if named Eau de Cat Sweat or My Fungi. The logo itself suggests a mysteriously dressed lady and a little child at her knees (certainly her “little love child”)– the result of “her sin.” Even in 1924, the suggestion was unmistakeable. It’s why Mrs. Trumball whispered and the Ricardo’s reacted with such surprise. It was indeed brilliant marketing by the Lanvin Corporation.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s adulterous character “Hester Prynne” in The Scarlet Letter was sentenced to wear a bright red letter A embroidered on all of her garments, displayed on her chest for all to see. She was permanently defined by her sin, visible at all times by the scarlet letter, and by her little love child, Pearl. Both Hester and Pearl were shamed and disgraced for life– defined by an act of the past, and sealed by the never-ending condemnation it brought. MY sin– with emphasis on the word My, is all too familiar to each of us. How often do we say it? It’s My sin, my depression, my sickness, my abuse, my failure, my mistakes, my guilt, my hang-ups, my secrets, my demons, my cross to bear. OH WAIT! Jesus carried my cross, why am I trying to bear it? Exactly!
Since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, Satan has delighted in giving us ownership of our sin. Satan tempts us with “Here, try this.” And then the very moment we try it, he switches to, “Now look at what you’ve done, you sinner! You should never have done that!” He desires ownership of our sin be permanent. “It’s YOUR sin; YOU own it; and you will NEVER escape it.” He has two plans to make it permanent– plan A and plan B.
Plan A is to for a person live an entire life in sorrow and grief, never accessing the great Mercy of God that stands ready to forgive. It’s an impossible burden to carry. It causes a person to languish in condemnation and hate themselves. And it’s so unnecessary! Jesus offers to forgive, and not just to forgive, but to wipe the slate clean! Only through the cross of Christ can that mercy become a reality, but His mercy is always available, to all people, all of the time. “His mercy is everlasting.” (Psalm 100:5)
Plan B is for a person to celebrate sin. “It’s MY sin, I own it, and I’m going to enjoy it to the fullest. In fact, I’m not going to call it sin at all. It’s just the way I am.” Plan B is not based on truth. Plan B’s purpose is to not access God’s great Mercy at all, but delights in remaining sin’s prisoner. When Jesus declared to the woman caught in adultery (John 8) “neither do I condemn you…,” he didn’t end his statement with, “see ya’ later, have fun.” He finished by giving her this command, “…go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). In other words, You CAN LIVE without your sinful lifestyle. It was His message of healing and hope. That’s where this incredible thing called Grace comes in. Look at this breathtaking truth:
“All who receive God’s abundant GRACE and are freely put right with Him will rule in life through Christ!” (Romans 5:17 TEV)
And to those who say, “I can never change……”
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER (Grace) that works IN us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
Look at it this way:
MERCY does not give us what we deserve. Instead, of condemnation and judgement, we receive forgiveness of sin.
GRACE gives us what we do not deserve– the power to be freed from our sin, and not have to walk in it any more.
Mercy does not condemn us, and Grace empowers us not to fall back into the deadly trap of sin.
Mercy and Grace is the power of God to transform. Together, they blend to create the most wonderful fragrance of all.
