The notion of a dichotomy between the teaching office and Scripture reading should be negated by two things: sequential expository preaching and sequential continuous reading (lectio continua).
This last year we’ve been through Philippians, Jonah and Romans in exposition while covering Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon through one-chapter-per-week readings.
I’d really hope that next year we’ll be more disciplined in singing some portion of a Psalm each week as well.
Topical sermons, in particular, undermine Scripture reading. One verse a week sermons can be understood this way, since they are generally topical by nature, as well.
Praying specifically before sermons and readings is helpful, but a biblical mandate is elusive.
The Bible has its own power, when we read it there will be a result, whether we pray for it or not.

Not only is there a problem with narrowing the Bible verses studies, but in most churches, if the preacher is writing the Bible studies, there is only one person’s interpretation of the passage available… and suddenly, we’re in Watchtower territory!

Pete—I think you spelt “ppffftt” wrong. (Unless you’re using the Spanish spelling?)

Hi all, thanks for your comments.

Gary - you are of course right to point out that God doesn’t need our prayers to act - which is something I thank him for, and rejoice in.

But my comment was more in the nature of what we model (ie, implicitly teach) to our congregrations by where and how we pray in church, but also, for that matter, of how we introduce the readings and sermons.

I guess I’m noticing and drawing attention to habits which tend to relegate the public reading of Scripture as something useful in its own right - self-authenticating, clear, and powerful - to ‘the thing we do before we get to the sermon’.

Marty &co; - thanks for these thoughts about Bible-study groups. I agree completely: Bible-studies have such great potential to bring the clarity of scripture to bear in church practice, but the potential to destroy it too (either through the minister hanging on too tightly, not thinking of himself as a minister who is responsible to equip others to minister - Eph 4:11f style, depending on where you put the comma - or of the argumentive culture that can develop.

Another one I’ve noticed is that study groups can sometimes develop a culture of ‘the expert’ - everyone starts to recognise one member as knowing more, and so they defer to him in everything, expecting him to answer everything.