A Close Look at the Scriptures You Have to Proclaim at that Upcoming Special Occasion
PRAYER OF A MINISTER OF THE WORD
(In Preparation)Lord, invest me with your power
as I prepare to proclaim the marvel of your message
I have prepared my reading,
I have tried to take within me
the meaning of what I am about to proclaim.
Help me to proclaim, not just with my lips,
but with my whole heart and soul.
Lord, make me a hollow reed
so that your voice will be heard by all who hear me.
Free me of excessive concern over my performance.
Convert my feeling of nervousness and
turn all my apprehension into an energy
for proclaiming your word with power and authority.
May your Spirit live in me and
fill the holy word that I proclaim.
From the lectors of Our Lady, Star of the Sea Parish, Singapore
Click on a title to see notes about a particular reading:
Love is patient, love is kind (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a) (used often at weddings, and, lately, at funerals)The wedding-night prayer of Sarah and Tobiah (Tobit 8:4b-8)
Let love be sincere (Romans 12:1-2, 9-18 (or Romans 12:1-2, 9-13))
Love one another because love is of God (1 John 4:7-12)
The creation of woman from the rib of the man (Genesis 2:18-24)
Blessed the husband of a good wife (Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16) (With some advice about public speaking)
Dress yourselves in compassion and kindness (Colossians 3:12-17)
This list is growing. I'm composing Notes pages often, beginning with the Bible passages most often chosen for weddings and funerals. To request Notes about another passage, click here to address email to me.
Greg Warnusz
Notes for the special-occasion lector
So you almost never serve as lector, except at a funeral or a wedding? Or you are an experienced lector but, for the event coming up, your role is mother of the bride, and your nephew has been designated lector. This page, and the Notes pages linked on it, will help you (or your nephew) prepare for that occasion. There are only three kinds of major resources on this part of the Lector's Notes website:- A step-by-step "how-to" guide to help you be thoroughly prepared and confident, and to help you do the job like a pro. Click here for the "how-to" document.
- Lector's Notes about the specific Bible passage(s) that you've been asked to read. They help you, the lector, know what you're talking about when get into the pulpit. They give you some of the history and theology behind the passage, and some hints about their oral interpretation. See the center column, top, of this page for links to Notes about individual readings.
- Crib sheets! These are .pdf pages you can print from your computer, one for each reading. On them the text is laid out just like it is in the pages of the lectionary at church, the ceremonial book from which you'll actually do the reading. Use the crib sheet for your practice, so the format in the lectionary won't take you by surprise. (You can even print a second crib sheet, mark it up with notes to yourself, and stash it in the lectionary at church before the ceremony.) The links to the crib sheets are on each page of Lector's Notes about the specific readings. See the list in the center column, top, of this page.