Before you could purchase a Bible in one of the hundreds of translations in leather or linen or paper covers. Before the Bible could fit into an app on your iPhone and you could scroll from book to book in a matter of seconds. Before the Reformation and its fortunate alignment with the invention of the printing press, most people never had their hands on their own Bible. The scriptures were heard from the pulpit, from the altar, in the synagogue. Great swaths of God’s Word were read aloud to a congregation because there was no option to read it on your own. Reading, hearing, and understanding the Bible was not an individual endeavor -- at least not primarily.
One (of the many) things I love about the Anglican tradition, which sits under the wing of the Protestant Reformation while maintaining some features of Roman Catholicism from which it was derived, is a part of the service called the service of the Word or the Lessons. During the service of the Word, ample time is given for lay readers to read a passage from the Old Testament, Epistles, and Psalms. Followed by the priest who reads a passage from the Gospels. The “lessons” are chosen from the lectionary and often related to one another in theme and the liturgical season.
As a listener, I am always struck by the recurring themes and patterns that I notice when these various texts are read together. When the reader is particularly expressive and clear, the Word of God is brought to life in a robust and vibrant way. Like a performer performing a monologue on the stage, a good reader can evoke the passion and truth that is already contained in the Word. Even more so, as they read, their faith in the Word shines and stands as a witness to the authority of scripture and the goodness of God.
Just the other week, we read passages from Isaiah 57, Psalm 22, Ephesians 2, and Mark 6. Each passage built on the theme of God’s gathering the nations by His power, holiness, and compassion. Hearing these passages read together reveals a more full picture of God’s character that I didn’t see before.
When I got to be a reader for the service of the Word, I didn’t expect to be moved like I was as a listener. Facing the small congregation at my Sheridan church, I walked to the stand and introduced the lessons for the day. Usually, when I read aloud my mind zones out so I don’t comprehend what I’m reading. But, this time I was alert and listening. As I read, I tried to put more emphasis on words, phrases, and images that stood out to me. Hoping that the congregation could see the consistent character of God revealed throughout His Word. How can I read as persuasively as Moses, as passionately the prophets, or as wisely as Paul?
The benefits of the public reading of scripture are many. But, one of the greatest benefits is that members and visitors get to hear passages from the whole Bible, instead of just an isolated verse or two. This is an active practice that reinforces the Protestant conviction of sola Scriptura. Sola scriptura asserts the authority, sufficiency, and clarity of the Bible in contrast to practices that subverted the authority of scripture by the 16th century Roman Catholic church.
If all that is needed for salvation is contained in the scriptures, then reading the scriptures (as well as partaking in the Eucharist and baptism) should be of the highest importance within a church service. While the Protestant church’s conviction of sola scriptura positively resulted in the prioritization of preaching the Word, I fear it has not led many churches to prioritize reading the Word in the same way.
This isn’t so much about quantity as it is a possible issue of what we believe about the Bible and the ways our preaching (and church services) are co-opted by the distractions of entertainment and the deceitfully comforting narratives of therapeutic deism. While reading aloud multiple passages of the scriptures to a congregation is not an instant fix for the complex conflicts in the church, it might carve a way forward for a more historic, orthodox church to emerge.
Here are three ways that prioritizing the public reading of scripture in our church services can realign our churches to the mission and hope of the gospel:
1. Shared Joy
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16, ESV
Hearing the Word of God with your brothers and sisters in Christ can spur you to a shared joy and thankfulness in the abundant mercy and grace of God. When we hear the story of Jesus’ resurrection, of Moses meeting with God like a friend, or David’s praising God in Psalm 66, we are all invited to remember the joy set before us by the work of Christ. This shared joy can remind us of the character of the One who binds us together and who makes the Church a light to the world.
2. Shared Conviction
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
Following a lectionary will inevitably lead you to read from passages of Scripture that are hard to hear for members and seekers alike. While a church may be tempted to avoid challenging narratives about Israel killing nations in the Promised Land, Jesus’ command about divorce, or Paul’s condemnation of sexual immorality, they cannot be avoided if a church really believes in the authority of Scripture. Many of these texts will provoke questions -- why does God ask Israel to kill the other nations in the Promised Land? Other texts will put the church in direct conflict with the culture at large -- God’s design of sexuality and the body. By the Spirit’s leading, any of these texts have the capacity to convict the congregation as a group or as individuals of the ways they have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed.
Though shared conviction may sound unpleasant, it has the capacity to unify a congregation, like joy. For the Christian who feels alone in their sin, shared conviction by the Word can remind them that “all have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). For the congregation that has strayed from historical, orthodox Christianity, shared conviction by the Word can lead to repentance and a full turn back to the true Gospel.
3. Shared Mission
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
The public reading of Scripture can also inspire a church to recall and respond to her mission. Not only in the New Testament but in a careful reading of the Old Testament, the church is instructed to embody the reality and promise of new creation inaugurated by the resurrection of Christ. We are to be a city on a hill, a river of life flowing into the nations, a spring of hope because of Jesus who dwells within us. We are called to bring light and life into our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces, pursuing justice, mercy, and renewal on earth as it is in heaven. The public reading of scripture can help us recall the mission of the global church in our specific time and place.
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