When I was elected to serve as First Reader, I was a shy and uncertain member of a small Christian Science church. Although I was in my 20s and felt very inexperienced, I knew from my prayer that this was the right place for me to be and the right time for me to be there. During three years of preparing and conducting two church services every week, I grew more than I could have expected. I moved from non-stop worrying about how I looked and sounded, to really loving this church role.
In serving as a Reader, I found peace and confidence. While Readers are responsible for selecting passages to share, they do not create the words or the message. The words they read are God’s words, and Readers are privileged to discover the full meaning of what they are saying right along with everyone else. Readers may find that they select readings on a particular topic, only to realize that they are about something quite different when read aloud to the congregation. The fact that these are not the Readers’ words, and don’t come from them, reduces the pull of pride and the fear of failure that go along with such false confidence. Instead, Readers are free to be humble and listen. The humility to listen and learn is endlessly interesting and fun, and it opens thought to right ideas that heal.
Once for a Wednesday testimony meeting I selected readings in support of healing an international conflict. After the service, someone asked me for a list of the passages because she felt they perfectly addressed an issue an individual family member was facing. I was surprised because to me the readings were so much about healing hatred between nations, and I hadn’t thought about them in any other way. To her, those same words were perfect and met an entirely different need.
