Reclaiming the Oral Reading of Scripture

There is a common assumption among many, both Catholics and Evangelicals, but especially among Evangelicals, that Catholics are more inclined to give pride of place in worship to the sacraments – that, indeed, the high point of worship is the Eucharist. And, that the equivalent high point for Evangelicals is the sermon – the exposition of Holy Scripture. And there is no doubt that in my growing up, we assumed that Catholics – even post Vatican II – were not into Scripture quite as much as we were, as Evangelicals, in that for us so much of our life and faith was about reading the Bible, studying the Bible and Sunday by Sunday be present for the proclamation of Scripture – the Bible preached.

While it is encouraging to see that over the last two or three decades, there has emerged for Evangelicals a greater appreciation of the Eucharist as a vital and essential dimension of Christian worship. And it is equally encouraging to see how the faithful exposition of Scripture has, in turn, become a vital part Catholic worship, something else merits noting as we reflect on the place of Scripture in the worship of the church. While Evangelicals have perhaps historically had an oral reading of Scripture as part of their weekly worship – typically a reading of the text that is going to be preached – what has emerged of late is that this is actually happening less and less. So frequently the sermon is based on little more than a verse or two that might be projected on a video screen – so much so that the actual oral reading of Scripture is increasingly a lost practice and art.

In contrast, we need to recognize that for our Catholic friends, the oral reading of Scripture is an indispensable part of the liturgy. And I use the word “indispensable” intentionally, meaning that they cannot conceive of worship without it. Each time Catholics gather for the liturgy there will be not one but three readings – four, actually, if you count the responsorial Psalm that comes after the first reading. And this happens week by week by week as the lectionary guide to each week lays out the readings for this particular Sunday: a reading from the Old Testament, followed by a Psalm of response; then a reading from the Epistles and, finally and as particularly sacred moment, a reading from the Gospels.

In other words, there is a distinct sense in which a typical Catholic gathering for worship, for the liturgy, is saturated with Scripture – from beginning to end – but here to commend in particular the practice of following the lectionary and doing it again and again: the oral reading of Scripture. Yes, I am fully aware that Anglicans and other Christian denominations also follow the lectionary week by week by week. But here in these remarks I am making a particular appeal to those of the more Evangelical persuasion where the oral reading of Scripture is absent – for whatever reason – and press for this basic Christian practice to be restored to our weekly worship.

We see an exemplar of the power of reading in words of Nehemiah 8:8, where the Levitical priesthood is spoken of as having open the sacred book and then read from the book and then explained the meaning of what had been read and how this brought great joy to the people of Israel. And we see the exhortation in the Pastoral Epistles, to Timothy, devote himself to the oral reading of Scripture:

Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhorting, to teaching (1 Tim 4:13).

I assume that despite the example from the one text and the clear exhortation from the other text of Scripture that Evangelicals come to the conclusion that this example or this call no longer applies. Perhaps it was because these are viewed as more “oral” cultures, or perhaps it is because it is thought that now that everyone has their own copy of the Scriptures, this is no longer necessary – that this exhortation was given because this was the only access that most Christians would have to the Scriptures. But while those might be legitimate observations, could it be that the oral reading of Scripture has an abiding weight and significance for the church – that, indeed, it is necessarily a vital part of our worship and thus of the way that we are formed in wisdom and truth? Could it be that there is something invaluable about hearing the Scriptures read, together – that is, that together, even with a most familiar of texts, we hear it together and affirm together in our hearing and than in our response to what we have heard, together, that this is the Word of God for us today?

Just as children love to be read to, even if they know the story intimately because they have heard a parent or grandparent read that very same story again and again, might it not also be the case that something else happens in our hearts when I the posture of worship, as those who have gathered together for the liturgy, for worship, we now – with quiet and attentive hearts – listen and attend and allow the ancient text to form our hearts and minds. When we do, let’s keep the following in mind.

First, that there is great wisdom on the approach of the lectionary – three readings, plus a Psalm of response, Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel. It is a vital means by which we grow in awareness of the whole scope of Scripture, the whole counsel of God and a means by which we are reminded of what we might speak of as the canonical centre of the Scriptures: the Gospels. If your congregation might find that this is a bit of a stretch – to go from no readings to three readings and a Psalm, then perhaps start with two: an Old Testament Reading and a New Testament reading, one of which would be the text for the upcoming sermon. I still think the full lectionary of readings is the best, but perhaps we start here for a congregation that is not as yet familiar with this much oral reading of Scripture Sunday by Sunday by Sunday.

Second, so much depends on having within the congregation those who can do this week – readers, women and men for whom this is something that they do with relative ease. They know how to read out loud in a manner that is both engaging – they have practiced in advance, and they have the sense of the text and its meaning and know where and how to give emphasis – but not ostentatious or overly dramatic or melodramatic. Let the Scriptures speak for themselves; as a reader, this is not about you, but about the Scriptures and they just need to be read plainly and clearly and in such a way that they can heard, in all their simplicity and power.

And then third, of course, we know that transformation comes not from hearing but from doing. Yes, of course, as the book of James reminds us, wise women and men are those who are not only hearers of the Word but do-ers. They hear and they live what they have heard. They hear what is being read not as a matter of curiosity or with a thought that this is at artifact of the ancient past, but they know that this ancient text is life giving and that it has inherent authority and that it is the means by which the Spirit brings about the transformation of hearts and minds but only as we learn to attend and live what it is that we are hearing.

And thus, whether Catholic or Evangelical, let’s together not only make this a priority – the oral reading of Scripture – and not only be sure that we have capable readers who know how to read and read well, but more: let’s learn to listen, to attend, to slow down and with open and attentive hearts, allow the Spirit to do the Spirit’s work in our lives through this vital spiritual and liturgical practice: the oral reading of Scripture.