If sermons begin with the hearing of God's Word--first by preachers in their studies and then by worshippers in the pews--then the quality, clarity, and depth of that hearing is of utmost importance. The thesis will demonstrate that when preachers follow a practice of learning scriptures by heart for performance in worship their hearing--and therefore their preaching--improves. As the field of Oral Interpretation shows, the Bible, an oral/aural work, is best heard when performed. Worshippers listen intently and hear keenly; moreover, by internalizing texts pastors preach sermons from a personal encounter with the Word. The thesis will explore not only how hearers' attention is captured when scripture is performed but also how the weekly practice of learning passages by heart focuses the preacher's attention, engages the imagination, informs exegesis, and guides sermon preparation. It will examine how the Bible and scholarly literature understand hearing. Through the writer's own story and the survey comments of parishioners, the thesis will tell how the discipline transforms preaching and preacher. Hardly an added burden to a pastoral workload or a talent only a gifted few can claim, the case will be made that learning preaching texts by heart for performance in worship is a rich spiritual discipline, even a means of grace.
