Frankincense: Gift of the Magi

When the Magi visit the Christ child, we are told in St. Matthew 2 that they found him in his house, not the cave where the shepherds worshipped him. Theirs was a long and arduous journey in order to worship a King they had never met. Holy Scripture does not say there were three, yet we assume so because of the number of gifts offered.

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh.” St. Matthew 2:11

Frankincense has an ancient history, being used in ceremonial and religious rites for more than 5,000 years. It comes from the resin in the bark of the Boswellia tree in areas of the Middle East and I find it interesting to note that it’s such a scraggly yet hardy tree. It has been known to grow amongst solid rock, sinking deep roots about the crevasses in order to survive the harsh wind and sun. Frankincense is harvested by scraping the bark and allowing the resin to bleed forth and harden, forming droplets or ‘tears’. These tears are then used in a variety of ways, some of which we can glean from Holy Scripture.

The Lord gives to Moses in Exodus 30:34-36, a very specific recipe for making incense that He deems holy, which includes sweet spices, onycha, sweet galbanum and pure frankincense. There are several references to frankincense in Isaiah, such as in chapter 60 which speaks of the assembling of the Church from many corners of the earth, turning their eyes to the glory of the Lord and bringing gifts, such as gold and frankincense to “proclaim the good news of the Lord’s salvation”. In Song of Songs, we see this sweet resin used in powders to scent the body and in Revelation 8, we learn that incense is present in heaven, the smoke rising along with the prayers of the saints before God from the angel’s hand. What a magnificent image!

The healing properties of frankincense have made its use common in medicaments and have proven very valuable in the treatment of respiratory ailments; no wonder it has been used for centuries to clarify temples and aid meditation.

How fitting and symbolic that the Magi brought such a kingly gift to our Saviour. One that is created through the wounding of a tree in order to give praise and honor to the One who came to heal us by His wounds...Isaiah 53

Gift of Incense

“And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.” Rev. 8: 4

Of all the treasures that Orthodox worship has brought to my life, understanding God’s design of our senses in His heavenly worship is chief among them.  This single concept, this reality, ushered me around the corner from understanding Christian theology as a reasoned set of precepts to follow, to Christianity as LIFE in Christ, active participants in the life-giving Trinity. 

For years I have burned incense in my home.  Sometimes the smell would annoy my husband and other times it would bring lively chuckles from my friends who liked to tease my ‘hippie’ inclinations.  Even so, I liked the fragrance and the wafting smoke reminded me of times well spent by a campfire.  Such is the powerful memory of scent.

From the first time I stepped into an Orthodox church, I smiled at the fragrance which seemed to cling to the atmosphere.  This was no passing sweetness that you sometimes encounter when moving among people at the mall; incense moves slowly and hangs in the air like stars in the heavens on a dark winter night.  It quickens your awareness and asks your stillness.

A friend of mine, who is not Orthodox, remarked that ‘incense induces one to prayer’.   Revelation 8 tells us of heavenly worship and guess what?  There will be incense in heaven!  Can you imagine the divine fragrance of the Court of Christ?  

When the magi visited the Christ-child, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, aromatic gums and resins with healing properties; gifts befitting a King.  And isn’t it curious to note that this same balm, the myrrh, was applied to Jesus’ body when he was laid in the tomb? (St. John 19:9)

Blessings to you this Christmas season and may your prayer times be enriched with the sweet aroma of wafting incense.