microphone to push the pace moving during the ' all ' sections .
Use music . For most spoken-word elements — whether they ' re for participation or for listening — underscore them with a light pad , piano , or acoustic guitar . The musical bed will help fill the spaces and give a deeper dimension to the reading .
Practice and rehearse it . Treat it like you would a song . The reader ( s ) should practice it at home . And during your rehearsal or warmup , run through it . Your instrumentalist can work out the underscore . The sound tech will appreciate being able to get the right mix between the voice and the instrument . And if you have multiple voices reading , you can work on timing .
Give depth to corporate prayer . Another way to use scripture is as a prayer . We can all pray together using scriptures that speak directly to God ( like Psalm 39:23-24 ). Or , we can change the pronouns into a prayer directly to God :
You , Christ , are the image of the invisible God ,
the firstborn over all creation . For in You all things were created : things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible , whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities ; all things have been created through You and for You . ( Colossians 1:15-16 changed into a prayer .)
Make a montage . In my book , Worship Flow : 28 Ways to Create Great Segues , I talk about using “ scripture montages ”— different verses grouped together by theme and read aloud . In the appendix of that book , I included a link to download a PDF with several samples of scripture montages . If you ' d like that PDF ,
here ' s the link .
As you implement these scripture montages ( or ones you write — Biblegateway . com ' s keyword search is a fantastic tool for that ), keep in mind all we talked about above : using a musical bed , inviting expressive readers , pushing the pace , and , most definitely , practicing .
When You Can Sing Again You may live in an area of the world that allows singing in your worship gatherings . Or maybe you ' ve found this after article after both the pandemic and singing restrictions have become history . So just because you could sing the entire worship set , don ' t . Consider the power of God ' s Word coming from the mouths of the gathered worshipers .
Use scripture to worship .
Jon Nicol Jon ’ s the founder of WorshipWorkshop . com and WorshipTeamCoach . com , two sites that help worship leaders build strong teams and lead engaging worship . He lives and serves in Lexington , Ohio with his wife Shannon and their four kids . WorshipWorkshop . com WorshipTeamCoach . com