amazing grace!ever heard of this hymn? to be very honest i really didn't like it one bit. i thought it was oversung, overhyped and brushed it off as just another dull hymn with an overplayed melody - like the titanic song 'my heart will go on'. and like the famous titanic song, i heard it so much in my early days (pri school) that made me so sick of it. i can still remember sr. pat (yes my pri school had a nun teacher) would always say so-and-so passed away and she would sing it.
until i heard the rendition by chris tomlin in his new cd. and the words took on a whole new meaning.
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
in chris tomlin's rendition of it however he added in a chorus/ bridge.
my chains are gone
i've been set free
my God, my Saviour has ransomed me
and like a flood His mercy reigns
unending love, amazing grace
and i finally managed to find the song i was searching for, 'there is a hope so sure', yes indeed there is only one hope we can be sure of, a hope in Christ alone... and i found it at none other than wesley's av lib, it's really a huge treasure trove of av stuff.
anyway, some facts about the hymn:
it was worded by john newton in 1772, melody by james p. carrell and david s. clayton, called new britain, in virginia harmony.
newton was a slave trader and captain of his own ship. he had long given up on any religious conviction till a terrible storm, where he thought he would certainly perish. and he pleaded with the Lord for mercy. and as he reflected he believed that God was present during the storm, and showered grace upon him. a illness later made him quit seafaring altogether.
he was george whitfield's 'enthusiastic disciple', he met and admired john wesley. he self-educated himself in greek and hebrew, decided to become a minister but was rejected by the archbishop of york for ordination. however he persisted and was ordained by the bishop of lincoln. it was noted that newton's church became so crowded during services it had to be enlarged.
john newton's story.i think i should write one about john wesley. reading about these great men (and women), it never fails to make me stand in awe of them. they were great because they depended on God for everything. they believed in the grace so true from Christ. they clung on to their faith and ministered with such great fervour.
and so i take it back, i used to tell people to never ever sing amazing grace at my funeral/ wake. now i say, please do! just don't sing it all sad and morose, sing it with joy in your hearts to truly mean the words of the hymn. can sing both versions, the chris tomlin one and the traditional one... ain't i greedy? then can also sing 'there is a hope so sure'.
today was hymn and praise sunday. clementchow led worship, and somehow when he leads worship he is able to pour his heart into it, a heart filled with worshipping God. pastor wendy shared something despite it being praise sunday. and it was special, short and sweet (like what cindy tay would say) and it really was. the crux - it doesn't matter what we acheive by worldly standards, but to live our lives knowing at the end of our day on earth is only the beginning. and with that we'll live our lives the way we should, godly lives. it was quite interesting too because she introduced the chairperson raymond as a 'godly man', and he in turn introduced her as a 'godly woman'. not only that, he truly complimented her by saying that she's got a heart, a heart not clogged, a heart which is free, yet filled with compassion and love. everyone applauded, quite loudly i would say. truly, she's been a blessing to wesley. i think she's the friendliest pastor around, or at least the smiliest, with a genuine smile that never ever fails to warm your heart.
