Encouraging mission and ministry across the diocese of York
UNIT 2 - WORSHIP
Session 2 ~ Word and World (1)
Tutor’s Notes
The aim of session two is:
To enable participants to explore and practice the skills required to read scripture and lead
public prayer effectively.
During the session we will begin to examine:
 The skills of reading the scriptures, ‘praying the liturgy’ and communicating the
Scriptures
 What is prayer?
 How to write and lead intercessions
Outline & timings
Refreshments from 6.45pm
Welcome and notices
Getting started
Thinking about reading the Scriptures
What makes a good reading?
The importance of good preparation
Getting into practice (1) (if necessary)
Getting into practice (2)
7pm prompt start
Break approx. 8.15pm (cold drinks for speed)
10 minutes max.
Thinking about prayer
Praying for others in public worship
Getting into practice – writing and leading intercessions
Review of session
Linkwork and Final Prayer
20 minutes
10 minutes
25 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
20 minutes
10 minutes
20 minutes
10 minutes
(Please note: the timings in the first half of the session add up to 85 minutes rather than 75
minutes. This is to accommodate each member reading aloud in a group setting if it is felt
necessary, although if this is done something else will need to be cut back in timing)
What you will need:
Flipchart, paper & pens
Blu-tack
Post-it notes
Bible
Resource sheets
Getting started
Ensure you look at the Participant’s notes to see
what they include!
(10 minutes)
Explain the aims, outcomes and outline of the session.
Ask members of the group to feedback about their post session ‘reflection’ task? Briefly
respond to any key points which arise.
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Thinking about reading the Scriptures (15 minutes)
Begin by reading the following words from Isaiah 55:
[The Lord declares] As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without
watering the earth making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the
eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish
what I desire and achieve the purpose for which it was sent
Ask the group to reflect in silence for a moment about why we read the bible in church. Share
these thoughts together and write up the key points on the flip chart.
Responses might include:
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It is God’s word and the way he communicates with his people
To be reminded about God’s faithful activity in history
To learn more about God’s will for his people
To hear the teaching of the bible together as a community
To be equipped for mission and service
To listen to God’s word, rather than or as well as reading
As a basis of our shared reflection and growth as a church
It is part of our liturgical tradition
To link the bible to the liturgical times and seasons
To provide a structured approach to hearing scripture that has been determined by the
wider church
To ensure we hear a wide range of scriptures rather than focusing on our personal
favourite parts
Mark Earey suggests that the reading of scripture in church is a significant action because:
‘it is both practical and symbolic. Practical because it means that we hear at least part of the
bible read each week. Symbolic because it reminds us that our whole life, corporate and
individual, is lived in the light of God’s word’
Mark Earey, Perrin Gay and Anne Horton (Understanding Worship, 2001)
To reflect further upon:
In some churches anyone can read the bible during public worship and it offers a good
opportunity to allow everyone to be engaged in the service, regardless of their ability. Others
place a high importance on communicating the scriptures, believing it to be God’s word to us
now. Thus reading is a privileged role, not to be undertaken lightly. What is your view and what
is your church policy?
What makes a good reading?
(20 minutes)
The task for each group is to draw up a bullet point list of at least six points, in response to the
question ‘What makes a good reading’?
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Give them 10 minutes for the task. Then ask all the groups to feedback to each other.
Working as a whole group, draw together the points made by the subgroups into a definitive
six-bullet point list. Once the list has been agreed, issue each member of the group with a
copy of the template (Resource sheet 1) to complete column one
Possible bullet points may include:
*
*
*
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Clear introduction giving listeners time to find the reading for themselves
Consistent voice projection
Clarity of diction
Maintaining volume to the end of each sentence
Appropriate speed
Variation of voice to recognise speaking within the text
The importance of good preparation (10 minutes)
Clearly, insofar as it is possible, it is important to prepare well to read the scriptures and to
practice in advance. Look together at Resource Sheet 2 and respond to any questions
Getting into Practice (Part 1) (20 minutes)
(if the group is big you might divide into subgroup, and use different parts of the building)
Invite members of the group to give their readings from the lectern (or another suitable point) in
turn.
Ask each reader to note in the comments section of the template distributed earlier how well
s/he did and where s/he would want to improve.
Getting into Practice (Part 2) (10 minutes)
Once the readings have been given ask people, in twos or threes, to talk with each other about
how well they did. Questions such as: ‘How did you feel while doing your reading?’; ‘What went
well?’, ‘What did you learn through the experience?’ provide helpful ways in for discussion.
Offer some constructive general feedback without singling out any individuals.
Break for 5-10 minutes – to include quiet space/drink.
Agree return time with the group
Thinking about Prayer (20 minutes)
On sheet of paper write ‘what is prayer’. Give each person a 5 - 8 ‘post it notes and ask them
to write one point on each in answer to the question. Ask them to stick their ‘notes’ around the
sheet.
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Answers might include some of the following:
 Relationship between God and us.
 Offering praise to God.
 Saying sorry to God.
 Thanking God for the blessing that we receive.
 Our means of asking God for the things that we need.
 Where we lift the needs of others to God.
 Listening to the voice of God so that we might know God’s will for us.
 Where we find communion with all the saints of God.
Look together at the answers. Do the group think there is there anything missing? if so add
further post it notes?
Prepare four cards with the words from the mnemonic ACTS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Expressing our love for God and praising him for who he is
Saying sorry to God
Giving thanks to God for what he has done
Asking God for our needs and the needs of others
Ask the group to categorise the points on the ‘notes’ under the headings, add other headings if
needed. Fill in any gaps.
Note that ‘praying the liturgical prayers’ requires the same preparation and skills required when
reading the scriptures.
Praying for others in public worship (10 minutes)
Highlight the difference between praying in the context of public worship and praying at home
or in a small group. In a small group prayers can be more private and confidential and personal
concerns can be aired more openly. In public worship prayers need to be sensitive to the
context, both the type of service and their place within it, have a clear structure and focus and
be heard by the congregation. In public worship it is important not to reveal personal details
about individuals without their consent. Public prayers are not a community information slot!
Public prayers focus on things which concern the whole congregation. There are many ways
this can happen, but most intercessory prayer covers some key areas. The service of Holy
Communion in Common Worship (p174 [black book]) provides an outline for public
intercession, which reminds us to look out to the world and the community as well as to the
concerns of the church and those we know personally. These include:
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The Church of Christ
Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority
The local community
Those who suffer
The communion of Saints
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In a Service of the Word the prayers may also have an element of Thanksgiving as there is no
Eucharistic prayer in this type of service.
While all these aspects of prayer are important, of equal importance is the need for space in
which to listen to God in prayer. After all, prayer is a two-way thing. The importance of
creating space for silence in public prayer should not be underestimated – especially in a world
where silence is an increasingly precious commodity.
Getting into practice – writing and leading intercessions (25 minutes)
Give out Resource Sheet 3 and allow a few minutes for the group to look at this
Divide into sub-groups of two or three’s and prepare a set of intercessions allocating one of the
headings to each group (select a theme, reading or topic in advance relating it to the season or
a current national or community issue). Before you begin, make sure the groups know the
order – who will start and finish - and decide on a suitable verse and response to follow each
prayer, such as:
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
or
Lord, hear us
Lord graciously hear us
Ask one person from each sub group to volunteer to read their prayer, then pray the
intercessions together as a group. Have a moment’s quiet at the end, then encourage the
group to reflect on the prayers. Some questions to prompt this are:
Was the content of each prayer appropriate?
Was each prayer a good length and engaging?
Were they led clearly?
Was the pace and volume right?
What might you do differently next time?
Well prepared and effectively delivered intercessions are an important part of public worship.
The leader is, at that point, responsible for helping the congregation pray to God for the world,
the church, and all those in need. His/her preparation for this will play a big part in determining
the extent to which the congregation enters into that prayer, but it is also important to ensure
that on the day prayers are ‘prayed’ and not simply read out
Some resources for leading intercessions
Adam, D.
Adam D.
Adam D.
Pritchard, J.
Pritchard, J.
Sayers, S. (
(1998) Clouds and Glory: Prayers for the Church Year – Year A SPCK
(1999) Traces of Glory: Prayers for Church Year – Year B
SPCK
(2000) Glimpses of Glory: Prayers for the Church Year – Year C SPCK
(1998) The Intercessions Handbook
SPCK
(2004) The Second Intercessions Handbook
SPCK
1999) Prayers of Intercession for Common Worship
Kevin Mayhew
(2000) Leading Intercessions
Cant.Press
(2002) New Patterns of Worship
CHP
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Some follow on material
Grove Books 169 (How to Lead the Prayers) and 177 (How to read the Bible in Church) can help take
all this on.
Review the session (5 minutes)
The purpose of this session was to:
Enable participants to explore and practice the skills required to read scripture and lead public
prayer effectively.
Key teaching points
 Reading scripture or leading prayers in public worship requires good preparation in
advance and clear communicate, being aware of: volume, pace and context.
 Understanding of a reading and its background will enhance its communication to the
worshipping community
 Intercessions should be borne out of personal prayer and preparation and should be prayed
as well as read. They will focus not only on the needs of the church, but also the world and
the local community and allow space for people to listen, as well as speak, to God.
 Don’t be afraid to ask the minister or preacher for help in understanding the context of
readings or areas to focus on in prayer.
.
Linkwork (for Session 3)
If any required….
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Session 2 - Resource sheet 1
What makes a good reading?
Features of good reading
Comments
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Session 2 - Resource sheet 2
Start with a prayer – pray for yourself and the listeners that the word of God will come alive
Consider which version of the bible to use – it is usual to use the Church bible or the same
translation as the pew bibles or notice sheet, but sometime you (or the preacher) may want to use a
particular translation, because certain words or emphasis may be different. Always check with the
preacher if you think you’d like to use a different version.
Understand the passage – It is important to understand the passage yourself before you can
communicate it to others, so read it several times and look at the verses which come before and after it.
Think about what sort of writing it is and therefore what style of reading would work well.
If you need help to understand the passages don’t be afraid to ask the preacher or the minister. There
are also lots of accessible resources available that can provide some background and insight. Again,
this demands some time and effort but any reading in public worship will be enhanced by it. Often the
difference is noticeable between a reader who understands what the reading is about, and a reader
who has no real idea of the content and context of the reading.
(we will look further at how to read and understand the scripture in week 4)
Check the difficult words – practice any difficult pronunciations out loud. If you are unsure about a
name or word then you might look it up in a biblical dictionary, or again check with the preacher or
minister. If you aren’t able to check do your best, but make sure you pronounce the word in the same
way each time it occurs.
Expression – It sounds obvious, but it is easy for people leading in worship to over-estimate how well
they are being heard and, as a result, to fail in projecting their voices effectively. It is not sufficient to be
just loud enough – the leader needs to be heard clearly and comfortably – so as not to distract
worshippers from worship. Volume, pace and tone are all important considerations as they will help the
words to come alive. Some particular tips include:
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Varying your speed and tone according to what is happening in the reading – if people are
hurrying speed up; they are puzzled or questioning let that sound in your voice; let the wonder of
what you are reading sound through as though it is the first time you’ve heard it.
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Look for words to emphasise and when a pause would help.
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Leave a short pause after each comma, a slightly longer one after each full stop and longer
again after a paragraph. This helps the listener to catch up with and take in the words they are
hearing
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If you have the facility, photocopy the reading and mark up the places to emphasise and pause,
to remind you.
Beginnings and ending – Make sure you know what introductions and endings are signalled in the
service order and whether the congregation will respond. Think about whether the reading needs a
short introduction or explanation to help the congregation understand the context of the passage. You
can find out basic facts about a reading from a commentary or the preacher.
Adapted from Anna de Lange and Liz Simpson (2003) How to Read the Bible in Church Grove W177
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Session 2 - Resource sheet 3
Top Tips for leading intercessions in Public Worship
Have a good idea about the kind of prayers your church expects. You may want to change things, but
be aware that some might find it difficult.
Intercessions work best when they complement the theme in the service (collects, readings and
sermon) and when they are short and focussed. Ask the preacher what theme they are focussing on or
if there are specific things to pray for.
Be economical with words, not using any more than you need to. 3 and 5 minutes is a good length. 10
minutes is usually too long.
Decide who your prayers are addressed to! If they are addressed to God be consistent and don’t
muddle, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Biddings are when you ask those present to pray for something;
intercessions are when we address God.
Use natural language, and avoid Christian jargon
Don’t do the ‘News at Ten’ when praying for the world, but make sure you’ve listened to the news in
order to know what might be of common concern. If possible check on the morning itself in case
particular tragedies have happened over night.
Does your church use ‘cycles’ of prayer (such as the Diocesan, Anglican World Council of Churches, or
Porvoo cycles); do you have parish lists of those who are ill or bereaved, or just baptised, etc.? If you
do make sure you are familiar with them.
Look at the Church notice sheet or talk to the minister to find out if there are specific church concerns or
events
Check if the service will include any particular events, such as a Baptism. Find out the names of the
children and parents and be aware there may be lots of people present who are unused to praying
Don’t forget to include short periods of silence, to enable the congregation to reflect and catch up with
the thoughts and images. 30 seconds is usually a good length.
Make sure people know how and when to respond. Use a familiar phrase to lead into it or you might put
an unusual response on the notice sheet, but always remind people at the beginning of the prayers.
Be aware of your own personality: too little and you might as well not do it; too much and the focus
becomes on you and not on God.
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