AMAZING GRACE

The hymn Amazing Grace is one of the best-known hymns in the Christian liturgy. Its widespread familiarity is not surprising, as it is the world’s most recorded song. Elvis Presley released his version of it in 1971 and Judy Collins in 1985. In between a tune-only version by the Drums and Pipes of the Royal Scots Guards topped the UK charts in 1972. There is even a rendering of it by Barack Obama, widely-available on-line, recorded at a meeting at which he was speaking in 2015.

 While the tune is extremely well-known, far fewer people would today be familiar with more than the first two lines of the words.

 The hymn was written by the Rev John Newton, who, before his conversion to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, was the captain of a ship involved in the slave-trade.   He entered the Christian ministry and became curate of St Peter and St Paul Church, Olney, prior to his ministry (1780-1807) at St Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street, in the City of London, near the Bank of England. Newton wrote the hymn especially to be sung at his church in Olney on the first Sunday of 1773,  and so 1 January 2023 marks its 250^th anniversary.

Consisting of six four-line verses, the hymn is the story of the wretchedness through which he had lived in his earlier adult years, and the faith and hope he had subsequently discovered, by the grace (the free gift) of God. The hymn contains six references to the word grace. It was a favourite theme of Newton’s ministry. As the hymn states:

How precious did that grace appear,

the hour I first believed.

Everyone reading this can have the same future hope which Newton had, and which he expressed so clearly and assuredly, if we repent of our sin and believe the gospel which Jesus came into the world to declare.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.