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Incense is the burning of aromatic gums to produce fragrant smoke. It first appears in the Old Testament as a command of the Lord. In the tabernacle and later in the temple, God instructed Moses to build an altar of incense (Exodus 30:1–10). Morning and evening, incense rose before the Lord as the priests served in His presence. Indeed, the filling of the temple with smoke is associated with the Lord’s presence, “The train of the Lord’s cloak filled the temple” and “his house with smoke” (Isa 6:1,4).
Incense is associated with ascending prayer. The multitude were praying while Zacharias offered incense in Luke 1:10. Revelation 5:8 even identifies incense with “the prayers of the saints.”
Yet that does not prevent incense. In Isaiah 1:13, the prophet complains, “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.” Incense had become a rote act without prayer. Likewise during Luther’s day, the reformers complained making ceremonial actions the ends rather of worship. Luther noted that monks acted as if were praise worthy to burn incense, sing, ring bells, light candles, or kneel.
The burning of incense remains a powerful symbol of the prayerful life. In the preface to the Large Catechism, Luther writes, “Nothing is so powerfully effective against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all evil thoughts as to occupy one’s self with God’s Word, to speak about it and meditate upon it, in the way that Psalm 1 calls those blessed who ‘meditate on God’s law day and night’ Without doubt, you will offer up no more powerful incense or savor against the devil than to occupy yourself with God’s commandments and words and to speak, sing, or think about them. Indeed, this is the true holy water and sign that drives away the devil and puts him to flight.”
Luther lists the burning of incense as something that churches can do in their Christian freedom. In his Latin Mass, he writes, “we neither prohibit nor prescribe candles or incense. Let these things be free.” Many Lutheran churches continue to use incense, candles, and bells. As the intellectual gives way to full participation in the divine service, more churches are using incense and engaging more of the senses. Incense is often It is used with evening prayer in which Psalm 148 is sung,
“Let my prayer rise before you as incense; the
lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
(Psalm 142:2 LBW)