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Not too long ago, Windsor Chapel’s Worship Team introduced
us to a new song as an offertory.
“Broken Vessels” is a beautiful contemporary version of “Amazing Grace.” Indeed, it even includes the Christian
classic’s first line: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch
like me.” It stands with other
contemporary versions of “Amazing Grace” and joins countless versions and
arrangements that have appeared since the hymn was first published in
1779. But why has just one of over 200
hymns of a relatively obscure believer in 18th Century England
generated such a legacy? I think there
are two very significant pieces to the story of “Amazing Grace.”
First, its message. I
believe that the old hymn has endured because its message is a succinct and
memorable proclamation of the Gospel: I
am a wretch, helpless and hopeless in my sin.
But by the grace of God, I have been rescued from my sin: Christ as paid
the penalty for it, and He invites me to live a new life in Him.
This is an old message but no less relevant than when Newton
or Christ or the Apostles proclaimed it.
In today’s culture, it is often regarded with disdain and distaste. Since human beings are regarded as
intrinsically good, we need merely develop and share that goodness. But it isn’t true. We aren’t good. We don’t need remediation; we need
salvation.
The salvation offered by Christ is a multi-faceted gift of
redemption. His death on the cross on
our behalf covers our sins, “buys us back,” so to speak. We can enjoy a right place before God and
confidence before His throne. But it
reaches far beyond that as God takes even the ugliest and most painful parts of
our history and remakes them into blessings.
The redemptive work of God is what “Amazing Grace” is all
about. It is a story within a story: not
only is it a powerful proclamation of the Gospel, it is the story of its author.
Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with John Newton. He is best known as a slave trader who
received Christ and became a force for great good in his world. Less known are the difficulties he faced as a
boy losing his mother and as an impetuous young man who endured mistreatment
and even slavery himself. The amazing
grace he experienced as God saved him and worked his past for his good became
the story of his life.
This is where the story of John Newton intersects with the
story of our lives. We, like Newton,
have been rescued from our sin through the grace of God. And now we get to experience God’s redemption
as he weaves all the threads of our past—all the sin, all the hardship—into a
tapestry of life that manifests His good purposes for us and reveals His
glory. And you never know. God may use us in a way that echoes for
generations to come.
