Saturday, August 4, 2018

“The Good Life”


            This weekend (August 5th) we conclude our summer focus on favorite hymns of the Christ United Methodist congregation with a reflection on the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace, ” by John Newton.  The frequent visitor to this blog may recall that earlier this summer the clergy at Christ UMC presented a three-part proclamation series on the Christian understanding of “grace.”  In the initial sermon of that series, I defined grace as “God’s free and unmerited love, which seeks out every person and assists us in developing a loving relationship with the Divine.”  I went on to suggest that “Grace is pivotal within Christian thought because it forms the grounding for our understanding of God’s relationship with human persons—and with all of Creation.”  I believe that John Newton shared a similar understanding of grace, when he penned the first verse of his hymn:

            “Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound
  that saved a wretch like me!
              I once was lost, but now am found;
              was blind, but now I see.”

            As an 11-year old, John Newton embarked upon a seafaring career by joining his father as a ship’s apprentice.  However, as a youth and young man, Newton was very unruly and rebellious.  Eventually his disobedience got him pressed (drafted) into the British Royal Navy.  Rather than reporting for duty, Newton deserted in order to spend more time with Polly Catlett, the love of his life.  However, there were still consequences for deserting and Newton eventually worked out a deal in which he joined the crew of a slave ship, where he began a career in the slave trade.

            Newton’s attitudes did not change with his new circumstances.  He continued to be difficult and obnoxious, openly mocking the ship’s captain and getting into disagreements with fellow crew mates.  Eventually, Newton was sold into slavery on a plantation in Sierra Leone.  After several months, his father intervened on his behalf and Newton found his way back home to England.

            During this period of his life, Newton was an especially profane man, having already denounced the Christian faith of his youth.  He was fond of mocking others for their faith and denouncing the concept of God as a fairy tale.  Newton continued working as a sailor.  In March 1748, the ship, on which Newton was serving, encountered a severe storm while in the North Atlantic.  As the ship was violently tossed about, Newton began praying, asking God to spare him and the rest of the crew.  This crisis produced a conversion experience for Newton.  He believed that God had a plan for his life.  When the ship finally landed ashore, Newton began making plans to marry Polly, which he did two year later.  Despite his conversion experience, Newton continued working in the slave trade, eventually becoming the captain of a slave ship.  However, Newton found it increasingly difficult to leave Polly and return to the sea.

            Eventually Newton left the sea and obtained a position as a customs agent.  Now permanently on land, Newton and his wife became active church members.  Newton began reading and studying theology.  Ultimately, he was ordained as a priest in the Church of England.  His first pastoral assignment was as the curate (Associate Pastor) of the church in the village of Olney.  Working with William Cowper, a layperson, Newton began a series of weekly prayer meetings for his new parish.  Either Newton or Cowper would try to write a poem for each prayer meeting.  Most of the poems written by Newton focused on themes of God’s grace, Newton’s love of Jesus, and the joy he found in his Christian faith.  “Amazing Grace” was shared as a poem at a prayer meeting on January 1, 1773.  It was later set to music and became the much beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.”  (Later in life, Newton became an adamant absolutist, working with William Wilberforce to eventually make slavery illegal in England.)

            The words of “Amazing Grace” convey a profound sense of confidence in God’s abiding grace—and a feeling of peace and well-being emerging from that confidence in God’s grace.  This confidence in God’s grace seems especially pronounced in verse 3:

            “Through many danger, toils, and snares,
              I have already come;
              tis grace have brought me safe thus far,
              and grace will lead me home.”

This confidence in God’s grace established a feeling of peace and well-being in verse 4, which follows:

            “The Lord has promised good to me, ‘
              his word my hope secures;
              he will my shield and portion be,
              as long as life endures.”

Fundamentally, I believe that the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” is about the joy and peace of mind which arises from fully accepting God’s grace in our lives.  So, my proclamation on Sunday, August 5th, will draw from Philippians 4: 4-9 as the foundational scripture:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
            This passage comes at the very end of the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Christians at Philippi.  As he is closing his letter, Paul ends with some last-minute instructions to the Philippians.  He begins by encouraging them to open themselves to the joy of accepting God’s grace, writing:  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”  For Paul, this experience of joy is more than a temporary emotion of happiness or a superficial cheerfulness.  Instead, Paul envisions a deep and lasting sense of unmitigated joy which can only come about through a deepening relationship with God, as we accept God’s grace.

Then, in the verses that follow, Paul lays out three core requirements for genuinely experiencing the joy of God’s grace.  These three requirements are:

1.      Fully Trusting God.  In order to feel the full joy of Christian discipleship, Paul encourages the Philippians to let go of their worry and anxiety about life and the future.  In her reflections on this passage, the British Biblical scholar Morna Hooker observes:  “It is sobering to remember that Paul was in prison, facing a capital charge, when he wrote this letter.  And that was not his only problem, for his responsibility for the churches was a constant concern (2 Cor 11:28).  Moreover, the people to whom he was writing were unlikely to be living comfortable lives.  Most of them were poor, many were slaves, and few of them would have know the meaning of security.”[1]  Hooker goes on to observe that for those of us living today in relative wealth, there is a profound temptation to put our trust in our savings and possessions; yet, this only leads to greater worry and anxiousness.

2.      Gratitude to God.  The second requirement in order to experience the deep and lasting joy of God’s grace is to maintain a grateful heart, being thankful for all that God has already given to us.  In verse 6, Paul encourages us to include thanksgiving in every prayer and supplication to God.  The importance of gratitude toward God permeates Paul’s letter to the Philippians and, indeed, most of his letters.  God has already given us so much:  our lives, our planet with all of its beauty, God’s deep love for us, our family and friends, our community of faith, as well as so many individual gifts.  Our gratitude for all that God has already given to us should shape our attitudes and outlook on life.  As contemporary social scientists have documented in countless studies, gratitude is fundamental for genuine joy.

3.      Discipleship.  In verses 8-9, Paul moves from the attitudes of trustfulness and gratitude to the lifestyle of a Christian, which is characterized by following in Christ’s footsteps.  Verse 8 provides a list of virtues, including: truthfulness, honor, justice, purity, etc.  In verse 9, Paul encourages the Philippians to continue “doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.”  For Paul, the lifestyle of a Christian is not that of a passive spectator.  Instead, we are called into a junior partnership in which we accept God’s invitation to join in the work of establishing God’s Kingdom—internally, in our hearts and lives, and externally in the world by sharing the Gospel of God’s love for all Creation; by showing mercy to those who do not have enough; and by working for justice in this world.

Taken together, for Paul, fulfilling these three requirements enables Christians to experience the joy of God’s grace; that is, the good life.

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to come and join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, August 5th, as we reflect on the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” and the joy of God’s grace.  Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our two traditional Worship Services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday morning.

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.


[1] Morna D. Hooker, Commentary on Philippians in the New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 11, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.


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