R E A L – T I M E D I S C E R N M E N T · J U N E 1 4 , 2 0 2 6
The Song That Answers the Body
How a sermon titled for unity told me which song to close on.
By Robert Wright · Minister of Music, New Light Baptist Church
Last Sunday at New Light, Rev. Vance Price preached “God’s Plan for Unity” from Leviticus 26. He opened with a Rolex he had seen on a recent trip—not expensive carelessly, the shopkeeper said, but a symbol of good taste, every part working in perfect order. I knew right then where my work would be. A fine watch keeps time not because of any single gear, but because every piece is committed and in sync. That is the body of Christ, and that was the sermon.
He moved through hard ground. Commitment is simple but costly—we come when church fits our schedule. Leadership draws enemies; you make them when you make limited resources look good. Even Jesus had no enemies until He started feeding the hungry and healing the sick. But he did not land on the enemy. He landed on us: be faithful to God, undistracted by your enemies. And then the promise—a transferring of power when God sees faithfulness in unity.
So I had a choice to make in real time. “Please Be Patient With Me” is tender, but it answers a sermon about personal formation, not a body standing together. “Victory Shall Be Mine” was closer—it carried the triumph. But the spine of this message was the body, and the title told me so. “I Need You to Survive” names it plainly: we are all a part of God’s body.
The closing song must answer the charge, not merely illustrate the topic. When a preacher names his subject in his title, listen—sometimes the tell is right there on the marquee. We closed on the body. The body is what he preached.
“A fine watch keeps time not because of any single gear, but because every piece is committed and in sync.”
| CLOSING SONG | “I Need You to Survive” — Hezekiah Walker |
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