Postures and Pointers for Corporate Scripture Readers

The preaching of God’s word is a central part to any biblical church. It’s something which Paul urges his young protégé, Timothy, to do in 1 Timothy 4:13 calling him “to exhortation and to teaching.” The public preaching of God’s word is invaluable, and perhaps the most concentrated time many members of our body spend thinking on the scriptures any given week! “Preach the word!” says Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2.

But the call to public preaching is only half of Paul’s commands to Timothy and his church. The first part of his encouragement is to the public reading of scripture. As Timothy attempted to solve some tricky pastoral issues in his church without the presence of his mentor, Paul reminded him of the sufficiency and simplicity of the public reading of scripture: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13).

The public preaching of scripture is clear and effective in the life of a gospel-bound church. But so too is the public reading of scripture clear and effective in the life of a gospel-bound church. More than that, it is something Paul wishes for us to be devoted to!

In our church the preaching of God’s word is withheld for Christian men who meet the qualifications of elder (1 Timothy 3:2), or who are discerning the call and qualifications in their own life (2 Timothy 2:2). But there are many people who can participate in the life of the church through the public reading of scripture. This is one way in which the believers in the body can serve the other believers in the body, all while reminding each other of the beauty and effectiveness of God’s word.

What is the Scripture Reading?

While our service includes many times that scripture is publically read, the “scripture reading” refers to a specific time in our service where we read a longer portion of scripture to aid us in our worship, to reintroduce us to the God we worship, or to exhort or admonish the body to greater holiness and service. Generally the text read finds itself in the opposite testament than the sermon text is in (for instance a sermon on John might include a reading from Genesis and vice a versa).

The scripture reader is provided the text to be read and also a couple sentences of context written by one of the pastors which simply help orient the listeners to the context and thrust of the passage. At the conclusion of the scripture reading it is the privilege of the reader to remind the body what they just heard by saying, “This is the word of the Lord!” Such an amazing reminder draws forth a joyful response from the body, “Thanks be to God!”

These scripture readings not only provide another opportunity for our body to hear God speak to them (that’s what God’s word does!), but it also provides a time for people to become more familiar with biblical books (Old Testament, New Testament) and biblical genres (narrative, prophetic, poetic, apocalyptic, epistle…etc.).

Postures and Pointers for Scripture Readers

If you’re a member of the church (generally the role of scripture reader is reserved for members of the church for the sake of integrity and oversight) and you want to serve the church as a scripture reader this is a wonderful privilege and way to encourage yourself and your brothers and sisters. But simple as “reading” might sound, we want to provide some helpful ideas which might maximize the utility and beauty of your reading.

While most of us can read something impromptu, this position offers you the ability to think deeply on the text as you care for our body! When we talk about “knowing” the text, we don’t simply mean “having read it” (for that see below!). But instead we mean that you should know what is going on in the text and what it is about. If the passage is in the middle of a narrative portion of scripture, take some time the few days beforehand and read the chapters surrounding it. If it’s articulating doctrine, make sure you understand (to the best of your ability) what truth claims it is making. If it’s a worship rich psalm, or a warning filled prophecy, make sure you understand which words the authors meant to illicit joy and which others illicit reverence. As you begin to know the text better in this way, you’re better able to understand how you might communicate it because you understand what it is communicating.

One simple way to help you understand the thrust of the text is to read your passage from a couple different translations. This helps you see how other translators view the content and thrust of the passage (at Sovereign Hope, our reading is always out of the English Standard Version).

I recently read the story of one member of a church who would walk up to his desk in his office and practice reading the passage he was given for that Sunday. If he misspoke or tripped over his words, he would stop, re-approach his desk, and begin again. By the end he would often emerge from his office dripping in sweat!

While perfection is not at all expected or required (yay for the gospel!), there is a level of practice and polish which doesn’t inflate our self-perception, but is instead an offering poured out for the sake of helping the hearers that morning.

After you know the text, practice it. Say it out loud to your roommate or spouse (I know some readers who even do the hard work of memorizing it!). Record yourself once on your phone to see if you’re reading too fast (the most common mistake!). Focus on where pauses, or punctuation, might make the reading of the text awkward if we aren’t careful. If your text includes some names or places that are unfamiliar with you, find a free audio Bible online (ESV has one built into their app) and hear how others pronounce those names. If you need to, write them out phonetically so you don’t have to worry about remembering the pronunciation. Don’t forget to even practice the brief pause after your reading before you conclude with “This is the word of the Lord.”

One simple change I’ve started to make as I put my kids to bed on Saturday night is to pray specifically for the preacher (who is normally their dad!) and whoever else might be involved with the service the following morning. As you are set to read Sunday morning, spend some time praying Saturday night that God would use his word, the simple reading of it, to bear much fruit. Spend some time meditating on God’s incredible promise in Isaiah 55:10-11 and pray out of that sense of power and optimism!

As a pastor who has preached almost weekly for over a decade, I still get the butterflies every time I get up to preach. When you get on the platform you might find nerves you didn’t expect. You might trip over your words, or need to repeat something you missed. I was joking with one of our members who ended his first reading with “This is the Lord of the word”! Remarkably, we didn’t burn him as a heretic, the gospel didn’t stop going forward, most people didn’t even notice, and the church was blessed. As we read God’s word and submit ourselves to that task we are ultimately trusting in the God of the word. This gives us peace when we have butterflies, and hope when we get tongue tied.

If at the end of your first time or two you’ve realized that for whatever reason your tongue trips up and your heart explodes in your chest, we will gladly help you find another place to serve. We want those who do this to feel a right reverence not a crushing anxiety! It is a privilege to be enjoyed and we want to make sure you experience it as such for your own good and for the benefit of the body.