Revelation 8: Prayers Made Visible
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Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
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Anytime Indians gather together you will probably smell cedar, sweetgrass, or sage in the air. This is called smudging, and it is used to clear the air of any negative spirits. It makes prayer visible, rising on the smoke.
That is exactly how incense was used in the Bible. The smoke of incense curls heavenward to God. It reminds us to leave behind divisions and strife.
Not many Protestant churches use incense anymore, and that's too bad. Real worship involves all five senses. Seeing, tasting, touching, and smelling are just as important as hearing our prayers. Involving all the senses makes worship real.
As we emerge from our Covid nightmare we need to clear the air. Zoom has been a great gift. Facebook has been handy. Youtube has been helpful. But we are more than ready for worship that involves all our senses again. We need to make worship real.
Today, let your prayers rise as incense, let all the divisions cease, and let worship be real.