Scripture from the Heart is a little homegrown worship ministry, seeded and nurtured by my church family at Highpoint Fellowship in Cedar Park, TX. I have had the distinct pleasure and honor of directing this work for 5 years. The work specifically is the presentation of great lengths of Scripture, memorized by one person. It’s not a common worship art, so we have worked in a kind of vacuum, figuring things out as we go along.
When we first started this work, my primary concern was with the congregation’s experience, keeping up with service lineup, and making certain my reciter felt confident. I call this work reciting, even though it is a mix of drama, first century teaching, and reciting, so the word doesn’t fit the fullness of it. I call the reciters “my reciters” because, after working with 40 plus reciters, I have grown a major stage Mama heart for each one and they are mine. As these years have gone on, I have found my greatest concern to be with the heart and work of my reciter. It is like a one person at a time discipleship work, which was a great surprise to me with my drama queen performer’s heart that withers without a large audience.
Way back before this work started for Highpoint, I was memorizing and performing Scripture on my own at some services and women’s retreats. One Sunday I shared the book of Esther and my three nieces were there. Afterwards, my middle niece, Claire, who was about 4 years old, came and wrapped her arms around me, saying, “Aunt Amy, one day I want one of those things for my face,” pointing to my headset microphone. She melted my dramatic little heart to a puddle and I knew one day it would happen.
It took some time, but, here we are. They are all my reciters, but this one is MY reciter. It gives me pleasure that can’t be described to see people I love consume and deliver the Word that breaks me and restores me. It is a powerful thing to meditate on Scripture and I think it takes every reciter by surprise. Seeing the Word buried so deeply into the heart of one so young should break and restore us all.
This is Claire Marie Dodd, age 10, with 2 Peter, chapter 3.
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