Lectoring is a form of preaching. Reading aloud is always an interpretive act. The written word carries less information than speech, so the reader always has to fill in the gaps.Â
When the Egyptian charioteers drown in the Red Sea, is God sorrowful? Triumphant?Â
Someone told me once that the voice you hear in your mind when God calls to Adam and Eve in the garden, after they have hidden themselves – that voice tells you about yourself and your relationship with God. Personally, I hear it as frustrated & sorrowful; a parent giving you a chance to come clean, but knowing already that you won’t take it. This, I think, is the real moment of separation: Their shame keeps them from accepting the forgiveness being offered.Â
This is why it’s so important to hear Scripture read aloud. When you read on your own, you often don’t notice what you’re reading into the text, the interpretive work you’re doing. Hearing someone else read forces you to confront other interpretations, to engage with the text in new ways.
