Introduction
The lessons that we read in church are a very important part of the liturgy -
They are just as much a part of our worship as the music, the prayers, the collects and the Creed -
Nine out of ten sermons depend on the readings for their impact and meaning.
The only part of the liturgy that is more important is the Eucharistic prayer.
When we are reading, we are reading to the Glory of God -
And that means doing it as well as we possibly can.
Some Technicalities
Not too many - but we need to think about our voices -
And that means breathing and posture - which are much the same thing.
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Lungs:
-take in air when the diaphragm is drawn down
-expel air upwards when diaphragm is flexed
Vocal cords:
-vibrate, generate sound
Mouth & Nasal cavity:
-resonate, modulate by opening and closing teeth and lips, moving the tongue |
The diaphragm:
-red line when drawn down after taking in air
-green line after flexing and expelling air upwards |
Wind Instruments:
-where wind passes over a reed which serves a similar purpose to the vocal cords |
Don't get worried about this, you can't expect to turn yourself into a professional singer or actor -
but the point is, you can't speak - that is, project your voice - without breath or with your mouth shut. So ... ...
POSTURE
Don't hunch over - Stand upright -
Make sure you know when you are going to have to take a breath -
Don't tense up - Don't try to speak throug-
If you can make eye contact with the congregation at least sometimes, so much the better.
The nub of the whole business of reading well is -
PREPARATION - THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS
You can't hurl yourself into church at the last minute, just pick up the service sheet, and have a go -
You'll need to prepare - You'll have to practice, at home, and in church before the service.
1
Make sure you have a readable text -
That the type face is big enough and legible - The spacing is right -
That you are not confused by verse numbers in odd places ...
2
Read it through for meaning -
What is the writer trying to achieve - What does he want us to understand by it -
What does each passage and phrase mean: if you don't understand it neither will we ...
3
Study the text -
What does the writer actually say -
When does he change tack or emphasis? - Introduce new thoughts? -
Go back to repeat a point that he has already made or to take the argument a stage further? -
Which are the key points and which does he throw away ...
4
Mark your text
(how is up to you – magic markers, Postit notes, whatever you find easiest and most helpful) -
This includes writing in how you are going to announce the reading and how you are going to close it ...
5
Watch for difficult words and names - If you are not sure, ask for advice ...
6
Look at the style -
Are you reading poetry or history (or perhaps both), or teaching ...
7
Look out for where you can change pace - For natural pauses.
COMPARE THESE TWO PASSAGES:
Ecclesiastes 3
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
A time to be born and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted
A time to kill and a time to heal
A time to break down and a time to build up
A time to weep and a time to laugh
etc.
it is a litany, all the propositions are of equal weight, it is the cumulative effect that counts.
1 Corinthians 13
If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing
Love is patient and kind;
Love is not jealous or boastful;
It is not arrogant or rude;
Love does not insist on its own way;
It is not irritable or resentful
It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
(A change of pace?)
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(Another change of pace?)
Love never ends
I see the Ecclesiastes passage as poetic, almost mesmeric -
1 Corinthians is also poetic, but each proposition is a step, almost a throw-away on the way to the point of the whole passage:
"love never ends".
Probably no-one else will see them that way -
Which is why you must make your own mind up about what you are reading -
and why it is important that we have different readers from week to week -
The interpretation of a passage is for you, and you decide on expression -
No-one else can say “do it like this, this is the right way”.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE.
You will very rarely find yourself reading a psalm as a lesson so treat this as an exercise -
See if you are happy with the way it is marked up.
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Psalm 103
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1 Bless the Lord 0 my soul, *
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
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Call to attention |
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2 Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, *
and forget not all his benefits.
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3 He forgives all your sins*
and heals all your infirmities;
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4 He redeems your life from the grave*
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;
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5 He satisfies you with good things, *
and your youth is renewed like an eagle's
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Change |
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Changes of : |
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6 The Lord executes righteousness *
and judgement for all who are oppressed.
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Shape |
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7 He made his ways known to Moses*
and his works to the children of Israel.
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Pace |
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8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
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Timbre |
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9 He will not always accuse us, *
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
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Tone |
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10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
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11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
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Changes of: |
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12 As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us.
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Change - ? pause (chance to change tempo) |
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Meaning |
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13 As a father cares for his children, *
so does the Lord care for those who fear him.
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Direction |
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14 For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
he remembers that we are but dust.
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Pauses |
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15 Our days are like the grass;*
we flourish like a flower of the field;
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Breathing |
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16 When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
and its place shall know it no more.
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? c.f. Vs 17/18 |
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17 But the merciful goodness of the Lord
endures for ever on those who fear him, *
and his righteousness on children's children;
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Pace - ? slower |
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18 On those who keep his covenant*
and remember his commandments and do them.
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Stress timing, not syllable |
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19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, *
and his kingship has dominion over all.
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End |
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20 Bless the Lord, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
and hearken to the voice of his word.
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Peroration |
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21 Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, *
you ministers of his who do his will.
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22 Bless the Lord, all you works of his
in all places of his dominion; *
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bless the Lord, 0 my soul.
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TO SUM UP
Read ~ Prepare ~ Practice
Be interesting – which means be interested: if you aren't, we wont be
Look for opportunities to vary the pace and pitch - monotony is the unforgivable sin!
English is stress-timed when spoken -
That is to say we tend to try to take the same time to get from one point of stress to the next -
no matter how many syllables there are in between.
Other European languages tend to be syllable-timed.
It's worth trying to stay with stress-timing if you want to sound relaxed and natural when you are reading aloud.
DON'T READ TOO FAST, TAKE THE PAUSES YOU HAVE MARKED
Read as you have prepared, and as you -
Don't try to be a different person -
Don't get soupy or pretend to be a television presenter
AVOID FALLING INFLECTIONS AT THE END OF PHRASES OR SENTENCES
Apart from making the sound of your voice monotonous, they tell everyone you have come to the end and they can switch off.
SOME OTHER POINTS
Before the service check the lectern -
Make sure the sound system is working -
That you can see the text you are reading from.
When it is time to read, move to the lectern in good time – but don't run
(reverence the Altar if it is what you would usually do)
Let the congregation settle down for a moment or two -
Then begin firmly – what musicians call the “call to attention” - to focus attention.
Don't worry if you are nervous -
Take deep breaths - stay confident - everyone is on your side - we need you.
If you fluff, don't panic - pause, go back, do it again. Don't apologise!
It is important that the reading should be done by the laity -
It's not something that the Church does to us, we do it for each other -
We share in the readings as we share in the whole service.
Remember -
It doesn’t matter if you don’t read as well as you think someone else reads -
You are not entering a competition - just read as well as ever you can -
You are reading to the glory of God, not out of vanity.
CONCLUSION
Preparation – Preparation – Preparation
Practice as often as you can -
Get someone to listen to you if possible -
Some people like to record themselves but if you have never done so before it’s probably better not to -
You probably won’t believe it’s you!
You may say,
“All this is an awful lot of work for just a small part of the service”
But the readings really are important:
They teach, they make us feel, they help us to share in God’s word
Only the best we can do is good enough!