2 mins

Reading aloud

John L Bell highlights the importance of well-delivered Scripture readings.

IT has often puzzled me as to why it took so long for Church of Scotland ministers (who are responsible for the style and content of worship) to invite members of the congregation to read Scripture passages during Sunday services.

The Roman Catholic Church affirmed such a role in the 1960s at Vatican II. But we seem to have had a certain reticence.

I don’t know whether people of my generation, who grew up in churches where the minister did everything apart from take the collection, presumed that either it was a right bestowed by ordination or that lay people were unworthy unless they were one of the ‘duty’ elders.

Reading the Bible in church should never be a duty; it is a privilege. Nor should it be reserved for those who have had elocution lessons, are keen on amateur dramatics, or are lawyers or teachers used to public speaking. But that said, it is not a casual affair. God is not waiting for the sermon before grace and truth are communicated. God speaks through the word which is read when it is spoken with affection and clarity.

It was an African American Roman Catholic lay woman who convinced me of this. In addressing a conference of priests, she said: “Those who read the word of God in public can be, for that moment, the voice of God speaking to the ears of the people of God. If you believe the Holy Scriptures are important, pray to God to reveal people in your congregations whose worth as readers has yet to be discovered.”

The Scriptures are public truth meant for the ears of the public. Having them read well is to experience the mystery of communication whereby the voice of the one speaking, when accorded the gift of deep listening by those who are keen to hear, delivers words of transformative significance.

This requires preparation on the part of the reader. It might be forgivable for bridegrooms, in the immediate afterglow of matrimony, to stumble over their prepared speech. But the word of God deserves greater care. If we don’t naturally read a poem, a story, a novel or a letter in the same way, we should accord at least the same respect in reading the variety of literatures in the Bible.

Sometimes, to aid understanding, the reader can do small helpful things. Holy Scripture is not so holy that we are forbidden to change personal pronouns in an opening sentence into the name of the person to whom the pronoun applies. 2 Corinthians chapter 2 begins: “I made up my mind that my next visit to you must not be another painful one.” This presents a problem for the listener. Who is “I”? and why was the last visit painful?