ThefirstreadingisfromJohn13(insertbiblereadinghere)ThisisthewordoftheLordThanksbetoGod.
Sometimes the bible reading can feel like a flood of words.
The introduction blends into the reading.
The benediction flows straight out of the passage.
Last week at uni the lecturer mentioned what should be the headline act of the church service.
It is not the sermon.
It is not the singing.
It is not the prayer times.
It is not the sacraments.
It is not the fellowship or sense of community.
The spotlight should be on the bible, particularly the public reading of the scriptures.
With this in mind, and believing that God reveals Himself through the bible, the lecturer suggested we embrace a lost art of the church service.
Let the bible reading breathe.
Give it space.
Allow space for the Holy Spirit to work
Let it marinate.
If you are going to give an intro to the reading, allow no room for confusion where your words stop and the bible reading commences.
If you recite a response after the reading, leave a gap between it and the end of the bible passage.
I wonder, if you shut your eyes and pretended you had no previous knowledge of church, how many readings would blend so seamlessly into the "This is the word of the Lord" segment that you could mistake it for being a natural part of the passage?
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