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The Significance of Incense in Worship: Meaning, Usage, and Symbolism

Discover the profound symbolism and spiritual importance of incense in religious practices, from the Old Testament to the modern-day use in Christian worship. Learn about the role of incense in prayers, the imagery it invokes, and its representation in heavenly realms.

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The Significance of Incense in Worship: Meaning, Usage, and Symbolism

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  1. INCENSE

  2. The Incense and the Censer • Who uses them? • What do they mean? • What do the 3 chains represent? • When does the priest use them? • The evening raising of incense • The morning raising of incense • The preparation for the Holy Mass

  3. Why does the priest use incense? • Incense is a sweet smelling (aroma) as the sweet-smelling life of the saints. • Incense rises up to heaven as the prayers of saints do. • Incense spreads everywhere and this refers to the fact that people see the image of Christ in the saints everywhere. • So we should pray whenever we see incense.

  4. Incense in the Old Testament • Incense has been used in prayers since the time of Moses and Aaron. • Who remembers the story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram?

  5. On the next day… • The whole congregation rebelled against Moses and Aaron. • The Lord sent an epidemic and more than fourteen thousand people died. • Moses ordered Aaron to put fire coal in the incense and raise incense. As soon as incense rose, the epidemic stopped. • The people thanked the Lord, as the prayers accompanied by incense were powerful. They promised never to rebel again

  6. Incense is in Heaven • Even in heaven, the Lord Jesus is sitting on the Throne surrounded by twenty-four priests carrying censers filled with incense, which is the prayers of the saints. • That is why David says: “Let my prayer be set before You as incense”

  7. Conclusion When we see the incense in the church, let our prayers go up with them so that the Lord may accept them as sweet-smelling incense with the prayers of the saints.

  8. Questions • Who do the incense and censer represent? • When does the priest use the censer? • Incense is a sweet smelling (aroma) as the sweet-smelling life of the ________ . • Incense rises up to heaven as the ____ of saints do. • Incense spreads everywhere and this refers to the fact that people see the image of ____ in the ____ everywhere. • Incense is the symbol of (reading the Bible -prayers -love). • Who were the 3 people who rebelled against Moses and Aaron? How did they rebel?

  9. Questions (Cont’d) • How many people raised incense with them? • What happened to them? • What did the congregation do on the next day? • What happened to them? How many died? • What happened when Aaron raised the incense? • What are the 24 priests surrounding Christ in heaven carrying? • What should we do whenever we see incense?

  10. Verse • “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalms 141:2)

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