Wednesday, January 25, 2012

H.S. Candle in the Cemetery


H.S. meaning Holy Spirit...as in Holy Spirit perfumed candles. Found these on my parent's cemetery plot. I think the gift-giver was thinking of a verse in the Bible:  "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." (Revelation 5:8)

The gift-giver is misinformed: Leaving a burning candle on a grave does not cut-it as far as the above verse. The resultant smoke from these candles is not the PRAYER of a saint (biblically defined as a human being, not an inanimate/stone object; one who believes in Christ, and is His follower) which is the main ingredient of the collected "odours" in the above verse. 
The candles certainly smell good; and make great room fresheners when lighted. But that is all.


A note of encouragement:  the prayers of God's people are cumulative.  God knows and remembers people's prayers, collecting them in golden vials or containers. 
Caveat: they do not get anyone into heaven (only Christ can do that through his atoning death on Calvary and must be individually believed by faith alone), but they DO amount to something. God's answers may be instantaneous, or a long-time coming. 

dear Pup posing with them, LoL







23.11.24.17
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