Incense

[AveMaria]

For those who use incense at home:

Any favorite blends? Do you change what incense you burn by the liturgical calendar?

When do you use it? Only when you're praying, or do you burn it just generally for 'background odor' ?

[gtsecc]

Tsarista from Holy Transfiguration Monastery

[RobNJ]

Frankinscense from Eastern Christian Supply (so I'm cheap ;) )
usually, just with prayer/devotion time

(I use scented candles for 'background odor' )

[Mysterium_Fidei]

I used to use incense, but it was with a cheap 60s' incense burner with cheaper 60s' incense.

[Wigglesworth]

I use various scents of resin incense that are sold by a local Orthodox/Byzantine church supply store. I don't use the stuff made of sawdust.

When do I use it? When my wife isn't home (after she said one day, "Can't you turn the smoke off?") during prayer, praise, and Bible reading. I imagine the prayers of the saints being offered up as incense in Revelation, and God inhabiting the praise of His people.

Here's another cool thing - I keep noticing the similarities between protestant and catholic churches. My Assemblies of God church uses a fog machine behind the worship team during the "Access" service. I was stricken by the similarity to the glory cloud of incense in my parlor.

:cool:

[N67896]

Here's another cool thing - I keep noticing the similarities between protestant and catholic churches. My Assemblies of God church uses a fog machine behind the worship team during the "Access" service. I was stricken by the similarity to the glory cloud of incense in my parlor.

:cool:

this whole idea is fascinating to me. i guess my question would be, "huh?"

...oh, you'll want a more detailed query. how about: "what am i missing / what is my church missing by not using incense?"

thanks for letting a curious outsider wander by.

[Aymn27]

I used to use incense, but it was with a cheap 60s' incense burner with cheaper 60s' incense.
Hehehe...patchouli (sp?) is my fav....{cover up the weed smell}....but I didn't say that, LOL...

ps - used only in early college days....

[Aymn27]

Hehehe...patchouli (sp?) is my fav....{cover up the weed smell}....but I didn't say that, LOL...

ps - used only in early college days....
pss - and NOT recommending recreational drugs.....Jesus is my high now!!

[gtsecc]

this whole idea is fascinating to me. i guess my question would be, "huh?"

...oh, you'll want a more detailed query. how about: "what am i missing / what is my church missing by not using incense?"

thanks for letting a curious outsider wander by.
I think it is mentioned more than 50 times in Genesis alone. The Bible seems to think it is important, and all the Historic Churches use it.

[Wigglesworth]

this whole idea is fascinating to me. i guess my question would be, "huh?"

...oh, you'll want a more detailed query. how about: "what am i missing / what is my church missing by not using incense?"

thanks for letting a curious outsider wander by.

Imagine what it would be like to be in the Old Testament temple in a cloud of incense in the Holy of Holies. Imagine being in the presence of God when the prayers of the saints as bowls of incense are offered up to him in Heaven. It is another dimension of worship.

Worship should include the physical senses as well as the mind and emotions. Look at the statuary, the pictures, and the haze. Listen to the music. Smell the frankincense. Feel the holy water as you dip your fingers in, then feel it on your forehead as you make the sign of the cross over your heart. Feel the oil as you are anointed for confirmation or healing. Taste the bread and the wine as you receive communion.

These are ways to be in physical contact with the grace of God. If we don't appreciate this aspect of worship and relationship with the Lord, we are missing something great.

:liturgy:

[ContraMundum]

this whole idea is fascinating to me. i guess my question would be, "huh?"

...oh, you'll want a more detailed query. how about: "what am i missing / what is my church missing by not using incense?"

thanks for letting a curious outsider wander by.

Our liturgy is meant to usher us into the heavens. In our liturgy we believe, as scripture teaches, that we are one in prayer and worship of God with all the angels, archangels and saints in heaven. We are spiritually unified with them in the act of worship.

Therefore, our worship becomes an icon, a window, into heaven. So we are called in fidelity to portray an accurate window, a likeness of the worship in heaven and ultimately incense is part of that picturesque icon.

We see that the worship in heaven involves the offering of incense to God before His throne. This of course is why the use of incense is constant throughout scripture, because it represents our prayers ascending to the throne of God. The Book of Revelation clearly shows this picture in tremendous beauty.

It's all in the book. :liturgy: :crossrc:

[Mysterium_Fidei]

pss - and NOT recommending recreational drugs.....Jesus is my high now!!
:clap:

[Father Rick]

Imagine what it would be like to be in the Old Testament temple in a cloud of incense in the Holy of Holies. Imagine being in the presence of God when the prayers of the saints as bowls of incense are offered up to him in Heaven. It is another dimension of worship.

Worship should include the physical senses as well as the mind and emotions. Look at the statuary, the pictures, and the haze. Listen to the music. Smell the frankincense. Feel the holy water as you dip your fingers in, then feel it on your forehead as you make the sign of the cross over your heart. Feel the oil as you are anointed for confirmation or healing. Taste the bread and the wine as you receive communion.

These are ways to be in physical contact with the grace of God. If we don't appreciate this aspect of worship and relationship with the Lord, we are missing something great.

:liturgy:Well said Wiggles...

In the OT, worship involved ALL the senses...in the glimpse we get of the heavenlies in Revelation and elsewhere we see the same...

Many times in our western culture we try to make worship just 'spiritual' and ignore the physical aspects of worship-- not realizing that the physical and the spiritual are intrinsically bound to each other and directly affect each other. By observing the principles of Scripture (go figure:doh: ) we can create an atmosphere that is not only more conducive to worship, but actually enhances our worship and our understanding of the nature of God.