The use of incense as part of the official prayer of their church offends some people, I have discovered this Christmas season, much to my surprise. As a person accustomed to it throughout my whole life, I feel comfortable with it and had thought everyone else felt the same way.
I did know of certain members of the Church of England in the last century who objected to elaborate vestments and incense, referring dismissively to these liturgical features as “lace and smells.” To them, these uses smacked of ornamentation that they considered foreign to the spirit of the liturgy.
The objections that I have heard recently are more serious. Some people, it turns out, dislike incense because it stirs up allergies in them. When it is directed toward their face, incense makes them feel choked up, the way cigarette smoke does.
Others complain that the use of incense in church smacks of “voodoo,” a kind of pagan ritual that is at odds with Christianity. It seems closer to superstition than true religion, they feel, and should have no place in enlightened worship.
To the first objection, one can only sympathize with the discomfort of worshippers who suffer from imposition of a substance that upsets their well-being. Perhaps their best option is to anticipate when incense may be used and to avoid such services.
Responding to the second objection is more complicated. For one thing, the word Voodoo is a popular corruption of the name Vodun, a religion of African origins that is now practiced by some 60 million people. In particular, many people in Haiti espouse Vodun, sometimes mixing it with the elements of the Catholic religion.
By contrast, Voodoo usually refers to a cult born of Hollywood films that feature bizarre practices and eerie ghosts. It should not be confused with the Vodun religion that was brought to the new world by African slaves and offers them spiritual values.
Incense is not something that the Christian Church has come up with in recent times as its own invention. Rather, it can claim a tradition that goes as far back as the beginnings of recorded history. Pictures in ancient temples and tombs reveal its widespread use in the ancient Near East both in ordinary daily life and in religious worship.
By no means was incense the exclusive property of pagans, however. The people of Israel made extensive use of it: it is mentioned more than 100 times in the Hebrew Bible. In Proverbs 29:9 one reads: “Perfume and incense make the heart glad.” And in Exodus 30:34 the Lord instructs Moses how to make incense as something “holy to the Lord.”
Priests in Israel used incense when they offered the prescribed sacrifices to Yahweh. It was also associated with private prayer: in Psalm 141, the worshipper says: “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you.”
Though the New Testament contains only a few references to incense, the most notable perhaps being the “frankincense” offered to the infant Jesus by the wise men from the East, its use by the Christian Church can be traced back to the fourth century. Of course, it could well have been employed in worship long before that time.
Incense, in particular, would seem to have been a welcome addition to the public worship of the church. Its main value is that it appeals to one’s sense of smell. Most worshippers, I suspect, find it thus opens another dimension to the sensual experience of liturgy.
Even now, I can remember from my youth the characteristic smell that used to fill the church at times when the golden incense holder was swung. I also associate it with funerals in which the body of the deceased person is recognized as holy by having the clouds of incense directed toward it.
Many people who do not adhere to any particular religious tradition find incense of spiritual value. Members of New Age groups often burn incense to create a certain atmosphere conducive to meditation or spiritual reflection. A room filled with pungent clouds of incense makes for an appropriate environment for moving beyond thoughts bounded by earth.
Count me among those who value incense and welcome its frequent use. To my mind, its fumes symbolize the spiritual character of prayer effectively. I have made my own the verse from the Psalms: “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you.”
Richard Griffin