A friend of mine is a selector for people who apply to train for ordination in the Church of England.  He is a high church priest, meaning that his spirituality is very much informed by Catholic practices and ideas.  He was interviewing a person who came from a very evangelical background who had no experience of other traditions within the Church of England.  So my friend asked him what he thought of Catholic forms of worship which used candles, incense, statues, rosaries etc.  The person replied “Oh I have no problems with them, I just don’t need those props”.  This was the wrong answer!   

Some of us grew up or came to faith in types of churches where these “props” were frowned upon, some of us grew up with them as essential tools for our spiritual journeys.  Most of us could do with a help, a prop if you like, to help us in our prayer lives.  Few of us are so advanced in our spiritual journeys that we don’t need aids to help us pray.  So today we are going to look at some of the various aids to prayer that are around and consider how they may help. 

Candles 

We are used to seeing candles in church.  Even when MCC congregations meet in social halls, community centres, bars or shop fronts we tend to use candles on the altar table to mark a space as being special and set apart.  The original purpose of candles was to provide light so the people could see what was happening on the altar and so the priest could see and read the service book!   

Of course over time the use of candles became traditional and expected – even when not needed to provide light.  In our society we use candles to provide soft gentle relaxing light – a romantic dinner, sometimes in the bathroom to provide a relaxing setting.  They have become very common in people’s homes as aids to relaxation.   

We use them, as Christians, as a visual reminder that Jesus is the light of the world.  In advent many churches have an Advent wreath with one candle being lit each week until the Midnight Mass when all are alight and represent the light of the world coming into the world., we use them at Easter when we light the huge Paschal candle – symbol of the Risen Christ and we use them in baptisms when we give a lit candle to the newly baptised as a sign of the light of Christ which surrounds them.   

Candles can help us set aside a special place and time at home to help us pray.  Sometimes it is difficult to set aside time in our lives or space to pray.  Simply sitting comfortably and lighting a candle can help us to focus – especially with some gentle music in the background – and help us to focus on Jesus, the light of the world and light of our lives. 

Incense / Joss Sticks 

If you have been attending worship here for some time you will know that our host church loves the use of incense in worship.  There is always the smell of it in the air when we come in, sometimes the smoke is still here as well!   

Incense is a mixture of resin from various trees originally found in what is now Saudi Arabia.  In the Old Testament it was used in worship in the Temple as it represented the prayers of the people rising up to God.  It continued to be used in the Christian Church partly because of its roots in Judaism and partly because of its use in Roman imperial religion.  In an age which was less clean and more smelly I am sure it was also used to dampen down the smell of the congregation! 

Many churches use it now in their worship either in very formal ways with a thurible being used to spread the smoke around or simply in a bowl burning at the front.  People often use joss sticks – smaller sticks of incense – to use at home.  There are usually some at the front near the statue of Mary.   

God gave us five senses, hearing, touch, taste, sight and smell.  Incense involves our sense of smell in worship and reminding us of our prayers rising towards heaven.  It also helps us, at home, in creating a sacred space where we can pray and focus on God.   

Statues 

In the West Christians have used statues as a focus for prayers.  Some types of Christians – Protestants – can find this really difficult as the Bible tells the Jewish people not to worship images but only God.  These words were written in a time when people saw statues as idols which were worshipped.  Within Christianity statues, of Jesus and the saints, are used as an aid to prayer.  They remind us of people who have lived lives of holiness before us and, as the modern worship song O Church Arise says, cheer us on our way in our own lives like a crowd of witnesses, or they help us focus on Jesus.  Some of the most powerful religious status focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus; either her youth and innocence or the pain she felt at the crucifixion.  These serve to remind us that God is with us even through the most dreadful experiences of pain and desolation.   Statues come in all shapes and sizes, from the almost full sized statue of Mary at the front of church to the smaller ones around the windowsills.  You may find a small statue a helpful prayer aid yourself at home. 

Icons 

Eastern Christians in the Orthodox churches were always suspicious of status but developed, instead, beautiful icons.  These are paintings of God the Father, Jesus, the Trinity or saints.  They take a long time to paint and are highly stylised.  The icon painter spends years learning his or her art and sees the painting as a form of prayer.  Each icon is rich in theological symbolism and they are designed to draw us into the life of God through our reflection on the image.  They are found in most orthodox churches and in the great churches of Constantinople were of mosaics and led the people in prayer and devotion.  These were whitewashed over following the Muslim conquest of the city but are now uncovered again.  New churches being built in Russia following the collapse of communism have seen many beautiful icons being painted.  A nice side effect of the growth of the Orthodox in the British isles is a new generation of Icon painters painting icons of the British saints from the undivided early Church.  Some are really very good – others make St Patrick or St David look like Greek Bishops!  Icons are readily available here from Church bookshops and can provide a really nice focus for prayer and reflection.    

Prayer Notes 

Many people from evangelical backgrounds use Bible Reading notes as an aid to prayer.  They contain a reading for the day then a reflection upon it, some ideas for prayer and some ideas for further reading.  They are a good way to help learn and understand the Bible and if you find a set which are inclusive they really help in one’s spiritual journey through life.  Similarly many Christians use a prayer book each day – these can be very complicated like the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church or more simple like Celebrating Daily Prayer of the Church of England.  They provide, typically, a form of prayer for morning and evening, as well as a short service for during the day.   These consist of readings from the Psalms and other parts of the Bible and some set prayers and ideas for things to pray for.  The Roman Catholic Office also include as service called “the office of readings” which gives a longer passage from Scripture and a reading from the writings of a saint.  They are good if you want a more structured approach which focuses on texts.   

Rosary 

Perhaps the most popular aid to prayer that is used by Christians is the rosary.  It is very common in Roman Catholic churches and is a set of beads each of which mark a prayer.  The rosary can be a great aid to prayer and meditation – or it can be rather perfunctory where prayers are rattled off at speed.  The key to the rosary is the meditation that goes with the prayer.  Various episodes in the life of Jesus and Mary are meditated upon – sometimes sorrowful episodes like the crucifixion, sometimes joyful like the resurrection.  The words of the prayers which are repeated serve to calm and focus the mind and then fade into the background as they are repeated like a mantra, whilst one reflects on these different episodes in the lives of Jesus or Mary.  It’s probably a form of prayer which many Protestants are not familiar with, but it is one which is good at helping focus.  I find it useful when I don’t know what to pray for, I let the prayers of the rosary take over and use it as a way to trust that God knows the rest.  It has been given a bad name by people rattling through the prayers like there is a race; but for some it can be a very useful way of setting aside time to pray.    

Web-Based resources 

In our modern technological age there are resources for prayer on the web.  One can read the Roman Catholic daily prayer book on line, but the best one I have found is called sacredspace.ie.  This is a site run by the Irish Jesuits and the whole screen is used as a way to help us pray – one simply presses the space bar when it’s time to move on.  Each screen has a simple idea to help settle us and then focus our prayers.  It’s a good way of praying and allows our spirituality to come with us to work and be used in a break.   
 

We know that we have to pray, we have to communicate with God who enthuses us with His love.  Yet often we find it hard to be disciplined and to set aside times and places for prayer.  There are many resources which can help and the ones we’ve looked at today are noted on the back of your song sheets.  You may also like to try the prayer diaries we produce each week.  No matter how we pray, no matter if those resources we use are from one tradition or another, the key thing is that we need to pray regularly as it’s good for us and helps us grow and develop as committed Christians.