A professor of mine once told me, “If you are going to read the Word, read it well.” It was that conversation, and a video he showed me, that forever changed the way I memorize and recite the Word. The video, a recitation of Hebrews 9-10 by Ryan Ferguson, was recited at the Worship God ’06 conference. The video did more than move me; it enthralled me.
Over the next couple of weeks, I watched that same video maybe a dozen times. Many of my friends inquired about the sermon I was watching, and were stunned to discover that I was simply listening to Scripture.
The recitation was dramatic. Dynamic. Thought-provoking.
Life-changing.
People’s reaction to this video made me wonder, “Why don’t we have more church services like this?” Especially since the book of Hebrews is pretty much one long sermon, intended to be read or recited. Why don’t we simply read it on a Sunday, as the sermon? Heck, why not read the entire Bible from the pulpit? Most of it would make a great Sunday sermon (excepting, perhaps, the genealogies).
I think one reason we don’t is because the Church has made God’s Word boring. And because people don’t want to hear someone drone on for half an hour through anything, no matter how interesting it might be.
When someone begins to recite with passion, energy, emotion, and conviction, though, people take not. They wake up and they listen. They hear familiar words with new ears. After hearing someone read aloud from the book of Isaiah, how can one keep from feeling as though one were listening to the Prophet himself?
I have seen people in tears after simply hearing the Word spoken. Why? Because when it is spoken, it is spoken as True. The emotions intrinsically tied to the language come alive.
When God spoke through His prophets, He often did not speak with quiet reservation, but with the passion of a jealous lover, with the thunderings of a judge, with the tears of a sorrowful father, with the joy of a youth. He never spoke with apathy; every word mattered to Him. So why do we?
If you have not yet watched the videos on our Resources page, I encourage you to check them out. After watching them, ask yourself, “Why don’t we do this at my church?” Perhaps God is calling you to help bring His Word alive to your church’s congregation.
Memorizing chapters of Scripture takes time and effort, but it is not impossible. When it’s done well, it changes the lives of those who hear as well as your own, making it well worth the effort. As you memorize and recite the Word, I encourage you to “read it well,” with the passsion and conviction with which it was written.
We need the Word spoken into and through the Church. Will you rise to the challenge? Will you memorize and recite the Word, so that both Christians and non-Christians have the opportunity hear what God says?
