On the Public (and Passionate) Reading of Scripture

“Our Scripture reading today is from Galatians 1:6–10,” the deacon behind the pulpit mumbled. Even as the pages rustled, the minds of the congregation wandered. The public reading of Scripture is just a preliminary before the real event happens–the preaching of God’s Word.

But wait. Why is the reading of God’s Word not given the same attention as the preaching of God’s Word? The preacher plans and maybe even practices the delivery of his sermon, but he often stumbles over the words of Scripture as he reads them. Reading the text can become an afterthought, getting little attention in the preparation of the sermon.

What about reading Scripture in the home? As fathers, we should read the Word to our children. We should teach them to read it aloud also, preparing them for Bible studies and future service in the church. What example do we set for them?

What if we read the Scriptures as if they were exciting? These are the words of life (John 6:63, 68; Philippians 2:16). The Bible is God-breathed revelation (2 Timothy 3:16). The words of the Bible, more than the comments of a preacher, have the power to transform lives (1 Peter 1:23). Furthermore, God commands us to read them publicly (1 Timothy 4:13). Therefore, let us read Scriptures with the gravitas and passion they deserve.

How do we do this? Try these seven suggestions to reinvigorate your public reading of Scripture.

1. Read Like You Are Interested in What God Has to Say

You are interested, right? Sound excited. Look engaged. Let the listeners catch your enthusiasm for God’s truth.

2. Emphasize the Right Words Intentionally

The meaning of each sentence often rides on the verbs, so linger there. Draw attention to key terms in the text with the emphasis you give them. Drawing accidental attention to conjunctions, prepositions, or less important words can distract the listeners or even distort the meaning of the passage you are reading.

3. Pause on Purpose

One way to emphasize critical words in the text is to pause before or after them. Stop briefly at the end of each sentence. It’s not a race to the end of the passage. Don’t run over the commas. They want to live.

4. Go Somewhere with Each Sentence

As you choose which words to emphasize and where to pause, think of each sentence as a whole. Where is it going? Slow down to draw attention to the most important sections, and speed up, at times, to get to them. Have a cadence that is not monotonous. Create anticipation for what is coming next by taking the congregation with you on a journey through the passage.

To encourage the listeners to come with you, turn them into fellow readers. Lead them to read together out loud. Due to the proliferation of English translations, you may need to put the words on a screen so that the reading can stay together. But get everyone involved. Responsive reading has become a lost art. Let’s bring it back.

5. Speak with Vocal Variety

God did not give your voice only one volume. Use them all. Follow the tone of the passage. If the passage provides comfort for the oppressed as in Lamentations 3:23, then your voice should reflect this with calm and quiet words. If the text sternly warns of falling from the truth like Galatians 1:8–9, your tone should echo its seriousness. If a character in a passage asks a question, your pitch should rise at the end of the sentence as if the question was your own. Make the passage come alive.

6. Look Up Every Once in a While

Looking up won’t kill you. It will help you connect with the congregation. Make eye contact. You are delivering a message from God to them, not just throwing words in their direction.

And if you are concerned that you might lose you place, run your finger under each line. As someone who reads silently faster than his mouth can go, I recommend this habit. Nobody but you will know you are doing it.

7. Make Sure the Public Reading Is Not Your First Reading

Each of these suggestions assume that you have read the passage ahead of time. Practice the public reading of Scripture as if it is important–because it is. Look up how to pronounce difficult or unusual words in the Bible Gateway or Logos Bible Software. Know how to say the geographical places mentioned in your text (like Helkath-Hazzurim in 2 Samuel 2:16). Repeat lines that could tangle your tongue into a tongue twister. And if a genealogy comes your way, make it sound like everyone has friends with names like Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:1).

Conclusion: A Musical Analogy

If you’ve studied music, the suggestions above might sound familiar. I can remember my trumpet teachers giving me similar advice when preparing a piece of music. Play with passion. Pay attention to how you sound. Make every line of music go somewhere. My piano teacher told me not to play as if I were at the typewriter. Play with feeling. Communicate through the music. Don’t run through the rests. Silence is not your enemy. You don’t have to fill every second with sound. Let the music breathe. The same advice goes for the public reading of Scripture.

You communicate more than you know by how you go about reading the God’s Word in public. Of course, you could overdo it and come across as contrived. But in my experience, the greater danger is stumbling and mumbling, accidentally undercutting the value of the most important revelation ever given to humankind.

Photo Credit: to Nycholas Benaia on unsplash