We'll start with some simple ideas:

 

The placement for this kind of thing is kind of done by feel. Put yourself in the congregation's shoes as a test for how to do it. A great place to use it as a transition piece between a slow and a fast song. As God's active word, there is a "living/breathing" aspect to it that can beautifully tie things together and bring purpose to what might otherwise be "dead space" in the service.

 

When we are talking about the flow of the service, we want it to be one continuous event from start to finish, not five or six separate events that take place during the service. These scripture readings can go a long way toward helping that flow.

 

For example, if your set list was:

Bb       Lay Me Down

C         Happy Day

B         Jesus Paid It All

B         Here's My Heart

 

I would probably put a scripture reading between "Happy Day" and "Jesus Paid It All" by having someone with a light touch on the piano (or a skilled finger-picker on the guitar) play some reflective improvisations in the key of B (that is the key for "Jesus Paid It All"). If the guitarist or pianist isn't comfortable with just improvising, they could softly play "Jesus Paid It All" behind the reading. Remember that less is more when you're playing background music.

 

Alternating between male and female vocalists, you might choose readings like this:

 

 

References: Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 5:6-8, Isaiah 53:6 - it's usually not helpful to read the references, but rather simply the verses

 

These songs all lead the thoughts of the congregation to the reason that they would have sung the first 2 songs ("Lay Me Down" and "Happy Day") It gives them a reason for why they would lay down their own lives and say "this life is not my own," and also because of what Jesus did (He paid it all), today is a "happy day!"

 

When the reading is finished, you can go immediately (but not hurriedly) into "Jesus Paid It All." You'll already have the sound going in that key, so the band could start in whenever the leader cues them without interrupting the sound.

 

This is just one example, but here are some principles: