Session #2- Reading and Hearing Scripture Aloud

Introduction:

Read: Joshua 8:34-35, 2 Kings 23:1-3, Colossians 4:16, 1 Timothy 4:13-14 

What do these passages reveal about the importance of the public reading of Scripture in both ancient Jewish and Christian communities? Why do you think it was so highly valued? 

In the book “Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern World,” the authors give five questions that every worldview attempts to answer: 

Setting: Where are we? What is real in the world where we find ourselves? Characters: Who are we? What is the nature and purpose of human beings? Conflict: What’s wrong? How do we account for evil and pain? Resolution: What’s the solution? What’s the hope for a better future? Narrative Time: What time is it? Where in the storyline are we located?

How does consistently reading the story of Scripture challenge or shape our answers to these questions? How does it shape our identity? 

Practice This Together as a Community

Get Comfortable – You’ll be reading for the next 15-20  minutes, so make sure that you’re in a place, position, and posture to be still, attentive, and open to God. Feel free to close your eyes if that helps you focus or follow along in your Bible. 

Pick a Passage – There are so many passages and books of the Bible with which to try this, so if you don’t already have one in mind, below you will find a list of passages and books that would be a great place to start. Pick one of them to spend time reading out loud as a Community.

Ruth, Psalm 119, Matthew 5 – 7, John 18 – 21, Galatians, Philippians, James, 1 John, 2 John, & 3 John

Establish The Reader(s) – Decide who will read it. One person can read the whole thing, a few of you can split it, or(what we would recommend) each person can read some of it until the whole passage is read. Spend a moment to decide how you will break up the text and who will read it.

Pray – Take a deep breath and settle in. Have your community leader pray that the Spirit would reveal truth to you and that you would be formed by what is read. 

Read – Spend time to read the entire text in one sitting aloud together. 

Silence & Prayer – After the last verse is read, don’t rush onto the next part. Take a moment in silence and stillness, letting the words sink into your heart, mind, and soul.

After a few moments of silence, have someone close in prayer and debrief with these questions:  

What was that experience like? Was there anything in the reading that stood out to you, or maybe that God was speaking to you? 

This Week’s Practice

The Practice for the week ahead is pretty simple. Pick a day and set aside 20 minutes or so to do the exact same thing we did together tonight. You can do this on your own or with someone else (e.g. a friend, spouse, family, roommate, co-worker, etc.). You can read at the park on your lunch break or on your couch with a cup of coffee. You can listen to an audio Bible for this practice, or you can read it out loud for yourself. Feel free to use the same passage as the one you read tonight, pick another from the list, or choose another passage or book of the Bible entirely. Remember that this practice is not necessarily about comprehending everything or studying every detail of a passage, but about hearing from God through the Scripture, and allowing that practice to transform us. Take some time when you’re done to process how the experience was for you. Be ready to share about it at your next group meeting.