The Reverend Kenneth Ransfer of Greater Mt. Baker Baptist Church in Seattle brought his own organist to accompany his sermon for the AME Annual Conference Ecumenical worship. His message hit many crescendos, but none more delightful or moving than when nearing the climax he burst into a song which turned into a medley and ended with everyone singing. His message took us through the nuances of what it means to be a light for others. He offered the analogy of sunspots who’s darkness on the surface of the sun can not diminish the incredible light of the sun and reminded us that we are not called to be in the light, but rather to “be the light.” His tag lines like, “before Elvis sang his jailhouse rock there was a rock in a Philippian jail,” kept things moving and building as he swept you in aided by perfect chords not rehearsed but felt and conveyed though the synthesized organ and the hum of the gathered congregation. Sometimes we talk about preaching to the choir as preaching to those who already know or are already on board with the message, but this really was preaching with the choir as everyone gathered became part of the message. Once his medley was done the bishop picked right up and kept things going with another song and the Spirit was flowing. I had to wonder how that might work in my very different congregation, but I resonated with what was happening as he brought us into and I hope all those of us who are called to preach use whatever we can to bring people into that feeling. The spirit was pervasive and connections were made. A choir was formed as the rhythm took hold. It was a worship event.