I remember as a child my friends and I would write each other secret notes using a special pen. Our cryptic messages were only made visible by applying lemon juice to the paper. A liberal amount of the acidic water would be brushed across the sheet and then you would hold your piece of paper up to the light. Suddenly the blank page revealed a message intended for your eyes only - ‘Lisa loves Mark’ or ‘Meet me in the garden at midnight’, or some such other childish dispatch. It was a magical and marvellous moment!
Most weeks each Sunday, dependant on the British sunshine, something exceptionally more wonderful occurs. At approximately 9:20am and again at 11:20am, I can see prayers.
As the choir and ministers make their way along the aisle, swinging the fragrant incense to the cross and altar, the administration of this fragrant ‘lemon juice’ reveals the unspoken utterances of the faithful. In my holy imagination they do anyway.
“May my prayer be set before you as incense”
Psalm 141:2
In a world where we’re often bombarded with the din of traffic, countless phone notifications and the pressing of life’s issues, it’s easy to believe no one sees or hears our concealed inner cares. This picture of smoke sitting in the air as if carrying prayers to heaven is such a comforting reminder that we exist not only in the tactile here-and-now but we also have one foot in the not-yet, there is an overlap of realms within and around us.
Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us
of the existence of things we cannot see.
~ Heb 11:1 (God’s Word Translation)
Jesus left us the bread and wine as a hands-on way to grasp an invisible spiritual truth because maybe we needed something tangible to anchor our thoughts with. I dare to think he’d be ok with me looking at the incense hitting the light each week and encouraging myself that there is a constant conversation between worlds taking place and that I can receive a shot of hope for the way.
Let incense smoking from my breast,
In praise and prayer ascend thy hill;
And where I rove, or where I rest,
Do thou, O God, surround me still;
My heavenly intercourse increase,
Till as a river flows my peace.
I love the depiction of our prayers rising like incense to the throne! Just beautiful thank you!!!
This conjures up such a beautiful picture 🩶