A Candle Burning in the Worship Assembly

Five years ago I worked with the Stoney Point church for one year. There was a problem in the auditorium that caused a displeasing scent so a brother, without my knowing it, lit a candle to help rid the area of the offensive odor. Shortly after this incident I wrote the following article. In my writing style I deemed it a satire of a sort that had reference to our brethren who are now making light of the ‘silence’ argument as to why we do not use instruments of music in our worship assembly. Also many brethren are referring back to the Old Testament to justify various activities in the worship that are becoming more and more prevalent in the church today.

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A CANDLE BURNING
(A satire of a sort)
by Raymond Elliott

As time to begin our Sunday morning worship was nearing and the members had grown quiet and were waiting for the brother to get up and make some announcements, I happened to look to the right of the pulpit area and saw something that I had never noticed before. It was a candle burning and the flames presented such an aesthetic scene. It is amazing how a candle burning can cause you to become meditative and calm in your soul. But wait, why was this candle burning in the place where we were worshiping God and the Lamb? Had some brother placed it there to enhance our worship? No, you see there was this moldy, musky scent in the auditorium and the candle was burning and releasing a sweet fragrance to help overcome the offensive scent to our nostrils. There was not any degree of a religious overtone in the burning of the candle. But then I thought if the candle had been lit for the purpose of enhancing our worship to God, where could I find any prohibition to do so. I am acquainted enough with the teachings of the New Testament to know that there is not one verse that states “Thou shalt not have a candle burning in the worship.” In fact, the New Testament is completely silent about this matter. Now that is a thought. Could this be the authority that I could use to justify having a candle burning in the worship? After all there was the candlestick in the tabernacle as mentioned in Exodus 25:31-37; 37:17-24. And then I thought about the burning of incense as a sweet fragrance to the Lord. This was customarily done in the Old Testament times as we notice Zacharias doing as recorded in Luke 1:8-10. Again there is no mentioning of the early church participating in this practice. In Revelation 8:1-4, with the opening of the seventh seal, a golden censer, a golden alter as well as the offering of incense is mentioned. It is understood that this was symbolic language that represented the prayers of the saints. But if the burning of incense is in heaven, surely we can have the same in our worship in the church here on earth. Besides that, the New Testament is silent about this matter as a part of the worship; therefore, we should be permitted to include such in our worship, right? Then my thoughts turned to having a holy dance to interpret a biblical story as a part of worship and praise to God. Sometimes an interpretive dance can be more meaningful than the singing of a song. Perhaps this would be the “time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4) as Miriam and the ladies did when the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15:20). Undoubtedly the women of Shiloh were dancing as a part of a religious festivity (Judges 21:19-23). Furthermore, the New Testament is completely silent about having religious dancing in our worship assemblies. Then my mind was really active as I thought about robes for the preachers, perhaps the use of bells and how about some nice instruments of music like a piano or a harp. After all John said he heard a sound “of harpists playing their harps” in heaven (Revelation 14:2). IF they are in heaven why can’t we use them in the worship presently? Did not David mention instruments of music in Psalms 150? Furthermore, the New Testament does not say anything about the use of instruments in the worship. Doesn’t such silence grant me the right to have all the aforementioned items in our worship? What, the congregation has just finished singing the first hymn and I must concentrate on worshiping God myself and stop this type of musing. And besides, I really don’t miss the candles burning, the burning of incense, the holy dance, the wearing of a robe, the ringing of bells or the sound of any kind of musical instrument as we endeavor to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). The fact is, the New Testament does not authorize the use of any of those things previously mentioned and that is the very reason we do not use them in our worship to God.

Now should you think that I am building a ‘straw man’ please read the following order of worship at the “GracePonte Church, A Church of Christ Serving Our Community” as found in their bulletin dated Sunday, November 29, 2009.

WORSHIP

Worship Leader: __________

Welcome, News About Our People & Call to Worship Prayer: ________

Lighting of the Advent Candle: Colossians 1:24-27

This order was to be followed for the 8:00 & 10:15 AM worship assemblies. The lighting of the candle in both worship assemblies was for the express purpose signifying a religious ceremony and not to prevent an offensive odor. “Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.” Not unlike many larger congregations this church is now becoming more ceremonial in their assemblies and placing greater emphasis on ‘special or holy days’ like Christmas and Easter. Their reasoning would be that the New Testament does not prohibit the use of candles in the worship assembly. However, neither does the New Testament authorize the use of candles in our worship to God.

When we include in our worship to God that which He does not require we violate the basic teaching of the Holy Scripture. The apostle John wrote in 2 John 9: “Whoever transgresses (goes beyond) and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.” We must not speak where the New Testament is silent and assume that because it is silent we have the prerogative to act according to our desires. It is God who has always determined and demanded that which is acceptable to Him in our worship and not the desires and wisdom of man.