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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