Hymns From Home: Amazing Grace

PRAY
Lord, thank you for your amazing and unending Grace.  For redeeming even the worst of sinners, for seeing us through the most difficult of situations, and carrying us all the way Home.

LYRIC
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.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

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

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.
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The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
will be forever mine.

SCRIPTURE
Psalm 103:8
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BACKGROUND

If ever there was a story of a life being pulled in to Christ, the testimony of John Newton is it.  Although his mother was a strong Christian influence on his early years, she passed away and he joined his father on a sailing ship at age 11 where he endured both flogging for a desertion attempt and captivity by a slave trader.  Over the course of his escape, he himself became a captain of a ship in the slave trade for many years.  However, through his friendship with both William Wilberforce and Mary Catlett (who he eventually married), he not only left the slave trade but became a staunch abolitionist and eventually entered the ministry.  In addition to becoming ordained in the Church of England, he also helped publish a hymnal to which he contributed 280 hymns including his most famous, "Amazing Grace."

As with many hymn-tunes, NEW BRITAIN is a folk-tune that has been passed down through generations.  Although it has been paired with other hymn-texts on occasion, it is best known for its affiliation with Newton's Amazing Grace.  One account noted that "if America had a national folk-hymn, this would probably be it."
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PERSONAL

A few years ago when Kelly Minter was filming her "All Things New" Bible study, we chose to include this tune as a tag on the end of another song we were doing and this arrangement was born.  There is something so stilling about this melody and as I was researching the birth of the lyric it hit me what a statement of faith this song is.  While we can't control our circumstances, we can control our reactions to them.  Circumstance led Newton to some pretty bleak surroundings, but he chose Christ anyway and became a man who share the good news.  

The apostle Paul comes to mind in this story too.  Formerly Saul, Paul had a rap sheet a mile long of offenses against humanity that were contradictory to Christ.  But through a radical conversion he became one of the most powerful evangelists of the Gospel in history and his words remain a huge influence on people even today.  I've found verse three to be an especial comfort in these times to help me remember that Christ has already brought us through difficult things in the past, and He has NO plans on stopping until He brings us Home with him forever.

​Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
'tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.