I grew up on

"Amazing Grace." Both the song and the real thing. But it wasn't

until the crash of TWA Flight 800, in 1996, that the song gripped me so

tightly that I have been able to let go. Or perhaps it has been unable

to let go of me.

The plane went

down on my birthday. As I celebrated my life, 230 unsuspecting individuals

lost theirs. I will never forget the impact that tragedy had on me.

Certainly,

following 9/11/01, "Amazing Grace" gripped the entire nation.

I have heard from several sources that there were those who hummed or

softly sang the hymn as they painstakingly made their way down the dark

Tower stairways to eventual safety.

As we grieved

for those who never made it to what we perceive to be safety, the hymn

brought some degree of comfort. The words or music alone, as well as the

combination of the two, consoled us as never before.

Indeed, the

lyrics and music echoed forth from the ashes to be heard around the world.

Do you ever wonder how it all happens? Where the words come from? How

they come to have such power? And to be recognized around the world?

Most of you,

like me, probably know that John Newton is credited with writing the song.

But did you know that Newton, who was born in London in 1725, was, among

other things, both a slave and a slave trader. His colorful life, not

so unlike that of Saint Paul, or perhaps yours and mine, took a dramatic

new direction in mid life.

History records

how, following a horrific storm at sea, Newton experienced a profound

spiritual conversion. (Do we not all experience our own personal storms?)

Newton later become a minister in the Church of England and the curate

of Olney, in Buckinghamshire. I have read that he collaborated there with

the poet William Cowper, often to the point of heated, yet joyful, competition.

The pair worked

together on several editions of Olney Hymns, and the words to what would

later come to be titled "Amazing Grace," was among their works.

It is said that other writers may have added verses and text variations

over the years, and some verses from other Newton hymns may also have

been added. Thus "Amazing Grace" evolved into what surely is

a hymn for all ages and all times.

I could continue

now with a list of the reasons "Amazing Grace" has come to mean

so much to me. But my list would mean nothing to you. While it may be

the universal hymn of comfort and peace, it is, at the same time, a very

personal song.

I invite you

to read the words again today. Read them and hum them and hear them anew,

as if for the first time. Let them bring comfort to those corners of your

heart where hurt hides. Let them find their way into and through all the

little cracks and crevices of your soul so that they radiate throughout

your whole being. Let "Amazing Grace" be your theme for the

blessed Christmas season which is about to be upon us.

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,

'Twas grace

that brought me safe thus far,

And grace

shall lead me home.

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 first begun.

Now, go back

and read it again. Not like you're skimming through a newspaper column.

Read it prayerfully. Reverently. Slowly. Let each word have its impact

on you.

Let the Grace

of which you read lead you forth into the day and night that lies before

you. It can. It will. It does. We don't always recognize the power of

such Grace, do we?

Back

to News Home Page |