Monday, February 14, 2011

Message > Delivery

I know, I'm behind the rest of the world. They have been fuming for days over the way that Christina butchered the US National Anthem at the Superbowl.

I can only imagine the outrage if someone was singing the Aussie national song and said that "our land was surrounded by sea." If you removed the word "girt" we would demand nothing short of a public hanging!

Christian's excuse? She was caught up in the moment. She was so swept up in spectacle that the execution of the words slipped her mind. "Oversouling" some people have called it.

It reminded me of bible readings in church and church a few weeks ago.

My job was to read the passage twice. Once before the sermon and then again after.

At the start i cocked up. I read the wrong part and only caught on after around 10 verses. Bonus bible i called it (good cover!) before giving the proper reading.

One point from the sermon was that the passage should really stand for itself.

Later, I read the start of the Sermon on the Mount and i did a mighty fine job of it.

But i wonder if my dramatic reading actually contradicted the point of the sermon. If i drew focus away from the words that i was saying and towards myself.

How often do those in church stand up and think they need to jazz up the scripture passage?
Would it be better if the only instructions a bible reader is given is to read in a way that trusts the words will speak for themselves?

No comments: