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Blog / Reading Scripture in Public This Christmas? Here’s Why It’s Important (And How to Do it Well)

Reading Scripture in Public This Christmas? Here’s Why It’s Important (And How to Do it Well)

Marble lectern in the Pisa Baptistry, Italy, for public reading of ScriptureWill you be reading part of the Bible out loud in a public setting this Christmas season—perhaps narrating the Christmas story at your church or a family gathering? Pastors and worship leaders around the world will, of course, be reading Scripture out loud at worship services throughout the holiday season, as they do all year. But many churches use Advent as an opportunity to involve “the rest of us” in worship services, and that means you may have been called on to read a Bible passage in public in the next few weeks.

Does the thought of reading the Bible out loud in front of others make you nervous? I won’t tell you not to be a little bit nervous—there’s probably no helping that. However, we can offer you a bit of encouragement from the Public Reading of Scripture page from our Scripture Engagement article archives. It’s a collection of reflections, practice tips, and resources to help you understand the importance of what you, as Scripture reader, are doing.

When you read God’s Word out loud, you aren’t just crossing off another item on the worship service checklist. You’re participating in a beautiful and important activity that dates back to the very earliest days of the church:

To hear someone read the Word is a different experience than to simply read silently to oneself. A well-prepared and gifted reader can bring out meaning in a text through voice inflection, rhythm, and intonation. A talented reader can present the Word of God to a group or congregation so that the listeners may experience the Bible in a rich and powerful manner.

So why is Scripture reading often treated as something of an afterthought? Writers and pastors are asking this question and many suggest that we give the public reading of Scripture a more prominent role in our ministries. What would happen if readers were encouraged to really study a passage, seeking the background and meaning of the text that they could then bring out in their voice and body language when reading? What if the reading of Scripture was treated as more than just the precursor or set up for the sermon? How powerful it is when a congregation or small group has the regular opportunity to audibly experience together significant portions of God’s Word.

So if you’ve been tasked, willingly or otherwise, with reading Scripture out loud this Christmas, take a moment to read why it’s so important, and then peruse the big list of books and web links that can help you to do it well. And while you’re at it, if your church is putting on any Christmas-themed drama production or musical event, you might find the sections on Dramatizing Scripture and Singing Scripture relevant to the holiday season as well.

Filed under Christmas, Worship