January 3, 2008
“Amazing Grace . . .”
Advent 2007 was an amazing season for we who are St. Theodore’s. It was a season marked by giving from our hearts and making sacrifices for those outside our church family – our “neighbors.” We had an amazing outreach effort all month long that converged at our two Christmas Eve celebrations.On Christmas Eve we left our warm homes and went out into a cold night with our families and friends to church where we sang and we sang Christmas carols with I sensed renewed enthusiasm and joy. We lifted up our voices in praise of our loving and caring God, and then as the electric lights were turned off, we lit our candles and quietly and meditatively sang about a silent night, a holy night. We were all once again quiet and peaceful because of God’s amazing gift to us of his only begotten son.
Brenda and I missed seeing the movie Amazing Grace when it was in the movie theatres, so we gave the DVD as a gift to each another. As we watched the life of William Wilberforce (credited with ending the horrific practice of slave trading) unfold before us on our television screen, I was moved by the fact that Wilberforce’s conversion experience and deep compassion for all his neighbors was intertwined with his life long relationship with John Newton, the former Captain of a number of slave ships and author of the hymn “Amazing Grace” which he wrote after his conversion experience.
Music can be a powerful medium, especially when we not only sing the music but pay close attention to the poetry of each verse. A good spiritual exercise for this coming year is to read over the words of your favorite hymn(s) and pray them the next time you sing them. When we can kneel down and sing about Amazing Grace, our lives can also be changed.
So, what is you favorite hymn? Why does it move your soul? What does it say to you about Jesus Christ and your life? Remember, as the late John Claypool loved to say: “Grace is not true grace unless it is amazing.” John Wilberforce experienced that grace and many lives were changed forever. So can your life and mine every time we life up our voice and sing with the voice of our heart.
Fr. Ken †
