On Worship Employing the Senses: The Sacred Use of Incense in the Ancient Christian Liturgy

Edited by Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

One of the immediate reactions from those entering our churches for the first time is often, "Why is there so much smoke?" Indeed, the aroma and sight of incense are integral to our liturgical services, and the reasons for this are deeply rooted in both Scripture and tradition. While Evangelical and Non-Denominational gatherings often have smoke machines, we have the original commandment of God, offering Him the sweet-smelling fragrances that He desires! 

Human beings are composed of both body and soul. Without the body, we would be like the angels; without the spirit, we would be mere animals. But God created us to be a union of the two. In worship, this union must be expressed fully. Throughout history, tensions have sometimes arisen over which aspect—body or spirit—should take precedence in worship. In much of modern Western Christianity, which focuses on what is minimally necessary for validity, there is a tendency to focus solely on spiritual or intellectual worship, minimizing the engagement of the body.

Some churches prefer simplicity, stripping away ornaments or symbols that might engage the senses. This approach assumes that only the soul is involved in the relationship with God. However, this cannot be the Church’s teaching, for one fundamental truth stands against it: God Himself took on a human body in the Incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. God, who is Spirit, became fully human, redeeming both our body and soul, and through Christ's resurrection, He offers us the hope of bodily resurrection as well.

Thus, our worship must also involve our whole being—body and soul. As descendants of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, like other Eastern Churches, our Church has developed a worship style that reflects this. Our prayers are composed to uplift the soul, and the music appeals to our sense of hearing. The beauty of the icons appeals to our sight, often referred to as "theology in color." The use of incense appeals to our sense of smell, filling the temple with the fragrance of prayer and holiness, reminiscent of the heavenly worship described in Scripture.

The practice of using incense in worship is ancient and biblical. In the Old Testament, God Himself commanded the use of incense in the tabernacle and the temple. Exodus 30:1-9 describes God's instruction to build an altar of incense and to burn incense continually before Him. This fragrant smoke symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God. Additionally, Numbers 16:46-47 recounts how Aaron, the high priest, used incense as part of his intercessory role, standing between the people and God to atone for their sins.

In the New Testament, incense takes on a symbolic and eschatological dimension. In Revelation 5:8, we read of the twenty-four elders offering "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." Revelation 8:3-4 again emphasizes this connection, saying, "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God's people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God."

Thus, in our worship, the incense is both a sign of purification and a visible representation of our prayers ascending to God. As the priest or deacon censes the church, he purifies the space, just as incense purified the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34). The sweet fragrance transforms the space, filling it with a new reality—God’s presence among us. Incense also signifies honor, once given to emperors, but now offered to Christ, the King of Kings, present in His Word, His icons, and most especially in the Holy Eucharist.

Moreover, incense accompanies our prayers for the departed, symbolizing our intercession and trust that God hears the prayers we offer on their behalf. As the smoke rises, so do our prayers, signifying both the ascent of our petitions and God’s acceptance of them.

To fully worship God, we must engage all our senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The use of incense in our liturgy reminds us that God created us as whole beings, and thus our whole selves—body and soul—must come together to worship Him. As Psalm 141:2 says, "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

In the holy liturgy, our shared worship of God as His Baptized and Purified People, we offer everything God has given us back to Him in worship, and through the use of incense, we sanctify even our senses, lifting our prayers heavenward and drawing nearer to the Divine, creating an icon of heaven and an eternity with God.