5 Questions You Must Answer Before You Step Up to the Lectern
So, today is your day to serve as lay reader for the morning service -- are you ready? Here’s a quick checklist to be sure you’re prepared to exercise this critical ministry:
1. Where’s My Head Today?
The ministry of lay reading dates back to the early Hebrew people when God instructed Moses to recount the miracles and wonders he had performed on their behalf. This role of reading God’s word to his people continued through the history of the Hebrews, into the early church and continues today. (Even Jesus served as the “lay reader” in the synagogue, reading from the scroll of Isaiah in an account found in Luke 4.) Your job used to be considered one of the four “minor orders” of the church and required education, dedication and a form of “ordination.” Reclaim that revered duty--you are walking in holy footsteps! Handling God’s word is a Big Deal!
Prepare to mentally set aside your personal challenges and distractions as you vest, or otherwise prepare for the service. “Cast all your cares” on the Lord, and dedicate this time to serving him and your congregation. Your temporal considerations will be waiting for you after the service.
2. Have I Prayed?
This is a partnership between you and the Holy Spirit. Thank God, literally, that your work does not depend on your skill or purity of heart, because, who is actually pure in heart? The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring the scriptures to light, to inspire his people, to encourage and challenge them through the word. Relax in the knowledge that he will do the heavy lifting.
Take time to intercede for your listeners. Ask the Lord to help them put their cares aside as well, and to let the truth of his word shine light into their lives. Love them. Bring your reading to them with compassion.
Intercede for yourself. Ask the Lord to help you use all your available knowledge and skill to do the best job possible articulating his word. Know you are doing what the Lord desires and commands.
3. What Do I Know About this Passage?
This is where you must spend a little time in basic text analysis. You have to understand the plain meaning of the text (not necessarily all the deep theological concepts) if you want your listeners to get anything out of it. Here’s a short checklist:
Check the passage’s context -- the text before and after.
Brush up on the book itself: author, audience, purpose.
Run through the reading out loud several times (at least).
Mark the passage to help orally navigating it.
(See The Eloquent Lay Reader for a detailed discussion of good basic text analysis and marking your passage.)
4. Am I Rested and Ready?
Have I taken care of my “instrument” - my body and voice? Clearly, you won’t be at your best if you are overtired, physically fatigued, coming down with a cold, or dehydrated. Your voice will not work if it’s dry and raspy. Warm up your voice with some vocal exercises. You’re not sprinting or weight-lifting, but you’re using your body to “perform,” nonetheless.
Am I dressed comfortably and appropriately?
Many lay readers wear albs or other vestments in the service. In this case, your clothing (the outer layer anyway) is taken care of. If you do not vest, choose an outfit that is professional, tidy, and comfortable. Don’t distract your audience with loud or inappropriate fashion choices.
5. What Do I Hope to Achieve?
What is your desired outcome? We often get worked up focusing on our “performance” so much that we forget the actual object of the game. Why are you reading aloud to the congregation? What is different for them, hearing the scriptures, as opposed to reading it on their own? I believe they experience the word differently. I believe they remember it better. I believe it works hand-in-glove with the preaching of that word in the sermon to follow. You, as a skilled reader, are providing those beneficial differences.
How do you measure your “success? When you finish your reading and return to your place, how do you know you’ve done it right? What are the metrics you use to judge your work? This is a hard one. Many times we don’t get a lot of feedback about our readings. But sometimes we do. Sometimes a parishioner (or the priest!) will come up to you and tell you how much your reading helped them or meant to them. Sometimes you can hear in the sermon that the preacher latched on to some of the same points you emphasized in the reading. These are the times you know that you have done your job with integrity and joy.