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| Saturday Seminar |
Recently, our eldership, which ordinarily leads the public worship services has decided to encourage men in our congregation to participate under our oversight in the public reading of the Bible. Subsequently we have organised this seminar on a Saturday morning to prepare men for reading the Scriptures. With the help of periodic evaluation we have also committed ourselves to practically help each other to become better readers of the Word of God. Below is the sum and the substance of what was shared at this seminar , followed by a time of application.
THE PUBLIC READING OF THE
SCRIPTURES
“Until I come ,
devote yourself to the public reading of
Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching…” (Paul to Timothy – 1 Timothy 4:13)
“ … man does not live
by bread alone , but man lives by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 and quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:4)
The Bible is the very Word of
the Living God. It is breathed out by God and given to us to train
us in all that is necessary for life and godliness (2 Tim. 3:16). As God’s
people we are deeply reliant on Scripture, since the Bible is the only means through which God
speaks reliably by His Holy Spirit to us. For this reason the Scripture ought to be central to our worship services. We ought
to read it, sing it and preach it every Sunday, trusting that this is a means by which the Lord blesses,
instructs, pursues, convicts, heals and
draws us to Himself.
Because of the importance of the
Word of God, we desire to help
people to read the Scriptures well. The reading of the Bible, is in fact a teaching ministry since the reading of the Bible imparts to us the
knowledge of the Word of God, which means that in public worship this is a ministry reserved for men. Having said that, all would benefit from reading the Bible well, whether
it is in a Sunday School setting or at a
women’s Bible study or simply reading the Scripture to someone in
hospital.
A SOLEMN THOUGHT: To stand before a church and to read the Bible is to stand in the place of God
and to proclaim his Word. This
must therefore be done with
reverence and thoughtful preparation.
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HINTS AND HELPS
FOR READING THE SCRIPTURES
1. PRAY! Pray for the Spirit’s illumination on the passage that
you are asked to read.
2. UNDERSTAND! In order to read a
passage well, you first need to understand it. You need to understand the message, the genre, the tone, the purpose for
which this specific portion of Scripture was written. You need to have a general comprehension of what the
passage says so that you can reflect the
tone which the specific Scripture message bears. Is this
a triumphant passage proclaiming the glories of God?
·
Is
this a poetic, meditative passage reflecting on pain and persecution?
·
Is
this God speaking to man or man speaking to God?
·
Is
this a story or a letter?
·
What
is God seeking to communicate to us in it?
Use a commentary
to help you understand the text better.
Although we use the English
Standard Version in our public worship, it may be useful to read the
passage in a couple of other translations for further help and clarity. It may be useful (but not necessary) to give a very short introduction or explanation to the passage
you read. Remember however that
you are not called to preach, but
to read
the Bible at this stage.
3. PRACTICE: Once you have a basic
understanding of the passage, you will need to practice reading it. As you read
you will need to understand its flow, and to take notice of any natural divisions. You need to ensure that
you know how to pronounce every word. Because you will be reading out
loud, will need to practice by reading out
loud. Read the passage from beginning to end until you are confident that you
will be able to capture its flow. As you
practice, learn which words or phrases you will need to emphasize, find natural
places to pause and look for places where you will need to increase or decrease
volume. Practice varying your tone and pace, but be careful that people do not
become more overawed by your skillful
presentation than the Word of God. Your task is to read the Scripture in a way
that aids understanding without drawing attention to yourself. You have
succeeded well if people are drawn to the Word of God and take no notice
of you!
If you encounter any
difficult names, places or other words, you can visit websites like http://thebibleworkshop.com/category/bible-pronunciation/a-words/ to help you in your
pronunciation. Make sure that you practice those difficult words enough
times that you will not hesitate or mispronounce them when
you read.
4. BEFORE THE SERVICE: Dress appropriately and
according to the front-of-the-room dress code. Shorts and T-shirts
are casual wear, and whilst not expecting you to wear a tie, be
sure that you look presentable to
all. Make sure that the passage you will be reading has been
bookmarked in your Bible so you can turn to it without wasting time in finding your passage. Adjust your microphone to your height. Make
sure that the microphone is switched on.
Keep a distance of at least 30 centimeters from the microphone.
5. READING: At the appropriate time in the
service, walk to the front without hurrying, turn to face the church and open
your Bible to the relevant passage. We
like to preface our readings with these words: “This is what Holy Scripture says.” Stand tall without
slouching. If possible, try to make eye contact from time to time with the people you are
reading to. Use your hand to guide your reading, if necessary.
Here
are a few common mistakes that you should be aware of when reading.
a.
Too
Fast! Do not be surprised if you find
yourself a little bit nervous at the
beginning. This nervousness typically
causes people to read too quickly. This is why preparation is important.
Preparation provides confidence. Try to
keep a good, natural pace. Your natural tendency will probably be to read a
little too fast. Slow down, and read with emphasis. Through it all, remember that you are reading
for the benefit of the church, and so
serve your brothers and sisters by reading God’s Word to them
with love and care.
b. Not Enough
Preparation: Let us make this point again ! Do all you can to prepare properly for the reading
of God’s Word. God’s Word deserves our
best efforts. If you are constantly stammering
and mispronouncing words, you may be irritating those who know how to read, and thus
you are not
serving your brothers and sisters as well as you could.
c.
Voice: The key to good vocal projection is to take a good
breath before your first word and then
to use your diaphragm to push the sound forward out of
your mouth. Read clearly and loudly
(without shouting) as if you
were trying to help the man
sitting at the back wall to hear you
without amplification. Keep your voice
constant and practice
clear pronunciation throughout. One bad habit is to
project well in the first part of a
sentence, but then drop off to a near-whisper by the end of the sentence.
d. Emphasis
: Here are two dangers:
(i) Reading without feeling or
(ii) reading with too much feeling. By all means do all you can to “feel” the text as you read it. Having prepared well you will understand the text, and you will allow the truth impact your own soul and cause you to interact appropriately with the text as you read it. Now, while you want to “feel” the text as you read it, be careful that you do not become an actor performing a dramatic recital, drawing attention to yourself rather than the Word of God.
(i) Reading without feeling or
(ii) reading with too much feeling. By all means do all you can to “feel” the text as you read it. Having prepared well you will understand the text, and you will allow the truth impact your own soul and cause you to interact appropriately with the text as you read it. Now, while you want to “feel” the text as you read it, be careful that you do not become an actor performing a dramatic recital, drawing attention to yourself rather than the Word of God.
e.
Lack
of Authority : God’s Word is read
publicly to call people to listen
and to act, so learn to read
as a messenger or as a town-crier[1].
You are a messenger of the King and you have something to say and you must expect those before you to give it attention. Let this frame of mind accompany you when you take up the Bible to
read to the congregation. Much public reading of the Bible fails
at this point, because the reader
does not carry the authority of God with
Him.
6. ENDING
WELL! At the end of the passage pause for a moment, look at the congregation before saying your words
of conclusion: “This is the Word of the
Lord. Amen.” Thereafter, go back to your seat, but do not rush.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_crier : in
England, town criers were the means of communication with the people of the
town since many people could not read or write. Proclamations, local bylaws,
market days, adverts, were all proclaimed by a bellman or crier. In Goslar,
Germany, a crier was employed to remind the local populace not to urinate or
defecate in the river the day before water was drawn for brewing beer.
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