To read the Bible publicly is to stand before other people and read aloud words that God himself has written. This is a tremendous honor and a weighty privilege, and it deserves to be taken seriously.

There are some elements of public worship that receive a great deal of attention. These elements are taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be. In most churches, this includes the music, of course, and often the preaching. Why do these receive so much attention? Optimistically, because the church deems them to be of the greatest importance according to Scripture. Less optimistically, it might be because these tend to be the elements that most distinguish different churches as they compete against one another. But either way, some elements receive the lion’s share of attention.

What elements often do not receive nearly as much attention? What elements are often not taught, practiced, rehearsed, and perfected until they are as good as they can be? Prayer can certainly be one of them, yet I don’t think any receives less attention than the public reading of Scripture. It, of all the elements, seems to be the one that suffers the most neglect.

I have been to many churches that did not read the Scriptures at all, except perhaps during the sermon. But I’ve been to many more that did ensure it was inserted into the order of worship, yet it was read in such a way that it came across as an afterthought. It was read in such a way that the meaning of the text became less clear rather than more clear. It was read poorly, without skill, without passion, without conviction, the reader hesitating, fumbling, and tripping over difficult words. It was read in such a manner that I guessed the reader might have been as unfamiliar with the text as the listeners, perhaps reading it for the very first time as he stood before the microphone.

A poor reading of Scripture is a wasted opportunity—an opportunity to honor God by serving his people. Not only that, but neglecting the public reading of Scripture expresses something about a church’s understanding of the Bible. A church that really believes the Bible’s claims about itself will want to honor it by ensuring it is read well. If the Bible truly is the Word of God, if God actually speaks to us when his words are read, then far be it from us to read those words casually, sloppily, or with inadequate preparation. Far be it from us to polish our songs, in which we sing of God, while neglecting Scripture, in which we hear from God.

I have a theory. My theory is that you can often identify the people who have read books to children by the way they read the Bible.

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