"A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean (Mark 1:40)

As lectors, we can develop
 “leprous spots” on our minds that diminish our delivery of God’s word to our listeners. Getting distracted by someone in pew we disagreed with, the late arrival of our family in the back rows, hoping not to mess up in front of a new priest, or basking in the compliments of someone who told you, "Great Job!" are all self-centered thoughts that cloud our thoughts and feelings at the expense of the worshipers.

In the book, The Ministry of God’s Word, by author Watchman Nee, the renowned pioneer of Christianity in China, he said this:

The state of our personal feelings can strengthen or damage our delivery of God’s word to the people. If a person mingles his unclean state of mind with the word of God, he defiles it.

And in a prayer from late Fr. Henri J.M. Nouwen’s, A Cry for Mercy, He asks our Lord...

How can your word be effective when it is received by a thorny heart, constantly reflecting on what happened yesterday and anticipating what will happen tomorrow, a heart perverted by guilt, envy, lust, always restless and in turmoil? It's no surprise that such a heart prevents your word from bearing fruit. (Easily rephrased to “Delivered by lectors” with a thorny heart.)

If we carry our unclean thoughts and feelings up to the ambo, our presence and demeanor may not be inviting enough for our listeners to want to hear us. But we can change when we ask our Lord to be made clean, just as the leper did. Watchman Nee, puts it in this way:

If there are defects in our thoughts and feelings, the Holy Spirit will press God’s desired form into us so that his word will not be defiled when he allows it to pass through us. The Holy Spirit will take a risk with us and through his greatest rigor, obtain his highest glory.

So the next time you’re on your way to the ambo, recall the faith of the leper who begged Christ to make him clean, and pray this short, last-minute prayer:

 Lord, cleanse my mind from any unclean thoughts outside of your word which I'm about to proclaim. Lift the thorns from my heart and make me clean so I can be a worthy vessel for your voice to reach the hearts of your listeners with its love and healing power.