Thoughts for the Day

I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as
an evening sacrifice.

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not turn my heart to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with those who work iniquity.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We Christians attend many different kinds of churches - some sing Gregorian chant; others never sing; some drink wine from a chalice and others from small glasses; some start a service by singing choruses for twenty minutes; others have a regular children's talk as well as a sermon; some will kiss sacred icons; and yet others burn incense during worship. The worldwide Church includes Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Mennonites, Baptists, Methodists, United Reformed, Pentecostal, and Orthodox Christians to name just a few. We have different worship styles, yet much to unite us.

My background was 'Matins each Sunday', but I became accustomed to the use of incense in Greek-Cypriot churches, and then later joined an anglo-catholic church in Burgess Hill where the use of incense was the norm. If your church doesn't use incense, don't write this off, for it is one of our most ancient rituals. Grains of resins, including frankincense and other spices are usually sprinkled on lighted charcoal contained in a censer or thurible, and was in use by the people of Israel in the 6th century BCE before they were exiled to Babylon. The Christian Church began to use it from about the 4th century CE, to symbolise our prayers ascending to heaven.

The image of our prayer ascending to heaven like incense is a beautiful symbol, however, I admit to complete terror when presiding at the Eucharist in Emmanuel College Cambridge in a glorious cope and chasuble and surrounded by a host of acolytes, all with assigned tasks, and expected to cense the altar and the people. Not my tradition, but one I definitely value and wouldn't want to lose.

Heavenly Father,
may our daily prayers
ascend to You
like the sweet smell of incense
filling a church,
and may they be pleasing to You,
this day and for ever.
Amen.