Text: John Newton (1725-1809) Tune: Williston Walker
1. 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.
2. 'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear,
And Grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come. '
Tis Grace hath brought me safe thus far
And Grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me.
His Word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
5. When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.
REFLECTION
The parable of the prodigal son is one of Jesus’ greatest. Many are the interpretations it has gotten, some great, some not so. Sometimes it is best to leave it alone and just tell it and let people ponder it. About thirty years ago, a scholar examined sermons on the prodigal, and was not amused. Her examination brought her to the conclusion that the preachers in her study were using this profound story to preach a secular message. Frequently, she noted that the fundamental language and presuppositions of the preacher and his or her audience was therapeutic and psychological. Many sermons dwelt on the family dynamics, which are of course, there. We do after all see a father and two sons, one older, one younger. But the change in the prodigal was described as more psychological than spiritual. There was an almost universal failure to deal with the sin of the prodigal. The miracle of grace is “eviscerated... as speakers fail to acknowledge notions of human depravity and separation from a transcendent God.” (Marsha G. Witten, All is Forgiven: The Secular Message in American Protestantism.)
John Newton, the writer of our hymn, knew the depravity of sin. He had seen it fully in his life as a rebellious son and sailor. He knew that he was a wretch, even before he came to understand how awful his participation in the slave trade was. He was clear in that when he wrote of himself as a “wretch.” Many there are who change the word to "soul." The argument that such a word makes people think poorly of themselves and they shouldn’t fits exactly Witten's complaint.. It is hard to grapple with not only the evil of the world, but even worse, the evil and sin in our own hearts. If one has not grappled with the depths of one’s sinfulness, the grace that is so amazing, has less of a luster. What is it then? Just warm feelings about the good we see around us?
The holiness of God is nothing to be casual about. There is no way we can reconcile with it by therapy or positive thinking. The grace Newton is amazed by is something that turns us around, makes the blind to see, it leads us home, it rescues us from hell. And the miracle it performs in forgiving us will take more than ten thousands of days, yea even more, to fully praise our Lord for this great work which is truly amazing.
HYMN INFO
Amazing Grace is the most famous hymn of the last 75 years, ever since the 1960s when Judy Collins began singing it. It is the story of a prodigal, John Newton, who knew himself to be a sinner, and who knew he had been forgiven. For more on John Newton watch the Story of Amazing Grace below.
LINKS
The Story of Amazing Grace/15 minutes well worth your time
Judy Collins and choir/ some 80 million views
Swedish congregation singing Swedish version
bonus
