Each rabbit is going to respond to handling differently, so it has to be taken on a case by case basis, especially when it comes to house rabbits that have a lot of freedom. A rabbit that is in a small cage most of the time, is not going to mind handling as much because it may be one of the few times they get out of their cage. A rabbit with more freedom and a larger area is usually going to dislike being handled more than a caged rabbit, which can make it difficult as they will associate it with being a negative thing when it occurs. So rabbits in different living circumstances may require a different approach to how they are handled.
Some rabbits will learn to be mostly fine with you getting them used to being handled, some you do have to be firm with or they learn to walk all over you and get what they want, others will respond very negatively to it and it can make them reluctant to be around you because of the anticipation of being picked up, because they hate it so much and may be very frightened about it. With these more timid anxious rabbits, it can affect their trust in you, and the more you persist in doing it, the more it can damage your relationship with them. So you really have to tailor what you do to each individual rabbits personality and how they respond to you. If you have a rabbit that you find is reacting very negatively to the handling, sometimes it is better to back off and go at it a different way. Sometimes it will be necessary with some rabbits, to handle as little as possible at first, as you gradually build their trust in you. Other rabbits that are more confident, may learn to get away with things if you aren't firm about teaching them that handling is just something they have to learn to put up with.
When handling, I've found that with most rabbits you don't really want to go about it timidly or gently. Just approach it with confidence and scoop them up to your body., with no hesitation You don't want to be rough about it, but if you are too gentle and prolong the process, it tends to just lead to more struggling. If you just scoop them up, then it is over before they realize what has happened. For the more timid rabbits, you may need to make it a very gradual process, with small steps like Azerane describes. so they learn to trust you and it isn't so frightening for them.