Anchor is taking part in the OnePrayer.com emphasis. Pastor Tim got us started last week with his prayer for Anchor: Lord, Make Us Courageous. This week we watched Craig Groeschel, the impetus behind OnePrayer, preach on, “Lord, Make Us One.” It’s the first time Anchor has tried a video sermon, and it seemed to me that people responded well.

In planning music for today, we talked about songs having to do with oneness. We thought of two, but both can be sung in a very downer way (and usually are): “They’ll Know We are Christians,” and “We are One in the Bond of Love.” We told Tim we could jazz up “They’ll Know We are Christians,” and he told us to run with it.

And boy, did we jazz it up. Rock it up, I mean. It was a great rock and roll version, with superb guitar work (on the keyboard, I felt a bit superfluous).

During a transition time, between the video message and what we call our Sermon Sequel, I played two upbeat hymns on the grand, “Since Jesus Came Into my Heart” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.” People applauded when I finished. That always surprises me. I don’t know if they just liked those hymns, or if they liked rollicking gospel piano. Or maybe it was just that Joanna started clapping and hooting, and dragged everyone along with her.