HYMN FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT Amazing Grace
- Gracia Grindal
- 58 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Text: John Newton (1725-1807) Tune: New Britain
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That sav'd 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 reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
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.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine
Though we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing his praise
Than when we first begun.
REFLECTION
There is no contest. The hymn that goes with this text is John Newton’s Amazing Grace. You can find several blogs on the hymn on my website and one on the lesson for the next Sunday for which I have supplied the link below.
This account of Jesus and the man born blind is one of the longest in the gospels. It involves Jesus debating with his disciples about who sinned, the man or his parents, that made him blind. This occasions a discourse with them after which he heals the man with mud made from his spittle. He tells the man to go to the pool of Siloam (which means Sent) and wash his eyes with the waters there, which he does and comes back seeing! What interests me just now, especially after reading Fredrick Bruner’s commentary on John, is the honesty of the blind man. He speaks the truth at every point. And by speaking the truth, becomes a missionary to his parents and the scribes and Pharisees who are irate that Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. Whenever he is asked about his healing or Jesus, he tells the truth. Which brings him close to Jesus who is Truth.
When asked about whether Jesus is a sinner or not, he speaks clearly, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The line Newton used, “was blind, but now I see.”
There are two kinds of blindness being discussed here. Physical blindness and spiritual. The man born blind comes to see both physically and spiritually; the religious cannot really see that the man has been healed and that Jesus is from God. Emily Dickinson wrote once about being able to see to see. That is what faith gives the man born blind. And once he sees, he sees both dimensions: the physical and spiritual. He sees that Jesus has given him sight of both kinds, and so he worships him. Such is the sight that faith gives and that we pray each day for. And that we will go forth with the truth to tell all who will hear!
HYMN INFO
For a full account of John Newton's life and this hymn see this blog or the link below on the story of Amazing Grace. Plus many more links to great performances of the hymn!
LINKS
The Story of Amazing Grace/15 minutes well worth your time
Judy Collins and choir/ some 80 million views
Swedish congregation singing Swedish version