Golden Bowls
At Third Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, when planning a series on prayer the imagery of Revelation 5:8 captured our imaginations. The elders were before the Lamb, each holding a harp and “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
During each worship service in the series we gave people the opportunity to come forward with written prayer requests (we put a pad of Post-It notes at the end of each row of seats). The slips of paper were placed in a “golden bowl” that was created by our visual arts team. Because real incense might trouble some people’s noses, a starched piece of lace rising from the bowl symbolizes the incense. Golden glass pebbles covered the bottom of the bowl.
The participation by all ages was overwhelming. These prayer items were then given to an intercessors group that meets each Thursday.