“Singing is Good,” Part 2
As I was leaving a memorial service recently, I overheard a woman say to her friend, “Do NOT sing that ‘Amazing Grace’ song at MY funeral; I am NOT a wretch!” I was sad to hear her limited take on a beautiful, much-loved hymn. I suspect she did not get the bigger message, nor did she know the story behind the writing.
The word wretch is onomatopoeia at its best. Spitting out the harsh sound, with all its powerful connotations certainly gets our attention, as is its purpose. The juxtaposition of the word wretch, coming right after the beautiful soft words, “amazing grace, how sweet the sound,” adds mightily to the image.
What if John Newton had used the phrase, saved a sinner or a bad guy like me? We hear the word sinner all the time in hymns. The impact is simply not the same. My funeral-going friend, I am not a wretch either. I admire Newton’s powerful writing and have asked to have “Amazing Grace”
included in the service when my time comes (not soon, I trust.)
We have only two hymns by John Newton in our Methodist hymnal: “Amazing Grace” and “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.” Newton was not known as a prolific hymn writer, as was Charles Wesley (whom we will visit in our next and final “Singing is Good” writing adventure).
John Newton (1725-1807) climbed into the history books as an English evangelical cleric and slavery abolitionist. However, previous to earning these esteemed titles, he had been a captain of slave ships and prosperous investor in the slave trade. Years into this harsh life, he experienced a conversion to Christianity. He renounced the slave trade, came face to face with his fierce, unrelenting treatment of the enslaved people aboard his ships of trade, and asked God for forgiveness for his evil deeds.
Was there a moment, you ask, that changed his way of thinking, changed his life? Yes.
A storm. His slave ship, The Greyhound, was caught in a severe storm off the coast of Ireland and was about to sink. He prayed, “God, please help us out of this sure death, and I will change my ways.” The storm died down, and all were saved. John Newton took this as a sign from God and began his conversion from enslaver and advocate to abolitionist and preacher of Christianity. He wrote the words to “Amazing Grace” as a profound statement of his conversion, having suffered the worst, having been a wretch, but now saved, having now received amazing grace. Newton originally titled the hymn “Faith Review and Expectation.”
The hymn “Amazing Grace” is well-known and loved by many. Study the words the next time you are privileged to sing it. Know that it has been sung in many languages, including Cherokee, Navajo, Kiowa, Creek, and Choctaw. The words sung by those tribes are all in our hymnal. Good luck singing along.
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.” These are powerful words. Get lost in them, get lost in the melodious music adapted in the 19th century. If you are like me, soggy eyes will surely follow, no matter how many times you are in this moment.
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Coincidentally…. Taking time out from finishing this article, due on Tuesday, I went to our 9:00 CAYA service this morning, as usual. During the Children’s Moment, Pastor Gene asked us to chat among ourselves about a word we particularly like. I got up, made my way three pews back to engage a young boy I did not know with this assignment. I asked his grandmother, Heidi Fitzsimmons, permission to use his name in this article. Kayden Gerlach is 11. He told me his word is onomatopoeia. Then he told me exactly what it meant. Fabulous word, Kayden! Well done. And incredibly timely. He also likes the word division!
Also - did you know that years ago, our cherished friends and former Pastor Mel Kawakami and Dorothy had two sweetheart dogs (breeds I don’t remember) named Mazie and Grace? Wonderful!
- Karen Matheson