I once heard an artist say, "do I play the violin, or does the violin play me?" The answer for this concert performer was that the violin plays her. In other words, she puts in the time and the engery to practice and prepare, but when the moment comes to play, she feels as if she is only a conduit for the music. I think of the act of preaching much the same way. The preacher studies and writes, edits (and edits some more), but at last when she stands before the congregation, the moment is holy. What God does in that moment is what God does and the preacher can say "the violin plays me."