A "GRACE FULL" EASTER

  The Easter story is full of grace, yet the word itself is not mentioned once. Rather than talking about it, the life of Christ shows it.

  The first" grace full" moment occurs early in the events of that fateful weekend. On the night in which He knew He was about to be betrayed by Judas, He told him [John 13:27] "What you are about to do, do quickly." and excused him from the rest of the Passover meal celebration to make his arrangements with the religious leaders. Later Judas comes with the soldiers to arrest the Lord in the garden. Then he greets Him as his respected teacher and kisses Him to signal the soldiers Who was to be taken into custody. Jesus knew He was being betrayed, yet instead of becoming angry, we find Him in Matthew 26:50 addressing Judas as "Friend" and giving him permission to do what he came for. What GRACE, to call the one who has just turned against you "friend."

   A second "grace full" moment occurs on the cross, when almost everyone present is either ridiculing Him, cursing Him, or condemning Him. In that moment of torment a criminal, who just before was joining in the abuse and is likewise being crucified for crimes he did commit, speaks out against the insults of the other thief by acknowledging the justice of their receiving this punishment but He didn't do anything to deserve this kind of suffering and death. Then he said, "Jesus [Savior], remember me when you come into Your kingdom."

  Now why should Christ honor that request? As far as we know the man had never before in his life done anything worthy of being included in Christ's kingdom. In fact, he had done all kinds of things to exclude himself from consideration for the kingdom. Even including joining in the personal attacks on Christ just a few minutes earlier. Why should he be forgiven? He couldn't even do anything for Christ to show the sincerity of his change of heart. I love the description given by Max Lucado in his book, Six Hours, One Friday of what happens next. "At this point Jesus performs the greatest miracle of the cross. Greater than the earthquake. Greater than the tearing of the temple curtain. Greater than the darkness. Greater than the resurrected saints appearing on the streets. "He performs the miracle of forgiveness. A sin-soaked criminal is received by a blood-stained Savior. 'Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise." Such is the definition of Grace." The other thief and Judas both perished in their sin because they rejected the offered grace from Christ that others accepted. That's one of the amazing things about God's grace, it is freely offered to everyone but never forced on anyone. The choice and responsibility for the consequences of that decision are up to each one of us. The second thief could have co-authored with John Newton the first verse of his hymn: "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." God's grace was allowed to change them both, which brings me again to a closing question for you, What impact have you allowed the grace of God to have on your life?

Grace: It's Really Amazing

  Here is a trivia question you can ask your friends the next time you get together. Of all the songs ever written, which song has been recorded most, by the largest number of different vocal artists?

Clues you can give:
1. It was written in 1779.
2. It was written in Olney, England
3. It was written by a pastor in his early fifties and reflects the fascinating story of his life.
4. It is an "Amazing" little song about the impact of God's grace on his life.

  Well, I'm sure by now you have guessed we've been describing the hymn, "Amazing Grace" written by John Newton. This powerful combination of music and message has had an impact far beyond what John intended when he wrote it for his little congregation made up of mostly lacemakers in Olney, England. John Newton, 1725-1807

  John's mother gave him his early exposure to the Christian life before she died when he was six. When his father remarried, his second wife was not at all like his first. She did not wish to have the care of young Newton while his father was away at sea, so he was sent away to school. After several years of formal education away from home; John left school and joined his father's ship at the age of eleven, to begin life as a seaman. His teenage years were one continuous round of rebellion and revelry. Abandoning his early religious training, he became an aggressive atheist and delighted in shocking people with his profanity. At the age of seventeen he was abducted by a "press gang" and put on board a British Royal Navy man-of-war. At the close of the war his father secured his release. The ship on which he was returning home encountered a terrible storm and young Newton resolved that, if he ever reached shore again, he would lead a different life. But, though the vessel arrived in port safely, Newton soon forgot his promises and good resolutions and returned to his former lifestyle.

   After this failure to make himself better, he went from bad to worse, ending up as a slave to a black man and his wife in Africa. He later wrote about this part of his life. "Had you seen me, sir, go pensive and solitary, in the dead of night, to wash my one shirt upon the rocks, and afterward put it on wet that it might dry upon my back while I slept; and had you seen me so poor a figure that, when a ship's boat came to the island, shame often constrained me to hide myself in the woods from the sight of strangers [and my conduct, principles, and heart were still darker than my outward condition] -how little you would have imagined that such an one was reserved to be so peculiar an instance of the providential care and exuberant goodness of God!" Somehow he escaped that life and after serving on several ships as well as working for a period of time on the islands and mainland of the West African coast collecting slaves for sale to visiting traders, Newton eventually became a captain of his own slave ship. Needless to say, the capturing, selling and transporting of black slaves to the plantations in the West Indies and America was a cruel and vicious way of life. Throughout this early turbulent period of his life, the memory of his mother and his love for Mary Catlett, his teenage sweetheart, served as strong and continuing influences.

   While returning to England from Africa during a particularly stormy voyage, Newton began reading Thomas a Kempis' book, Imitation of Christ. When it appeared that all would be lost during the fiercest storm of his career, Newton was faced with who he had become and where he might spend eternity, recalling the book's message and remembering some of his mother's last words he called out to God to forgive his sin and accepted Christ as His own personal Savior. For the next several years he continued as a slave ship captain, trying to justify his work by seeking to improve conditions as much as possible, even holding public worship services for his hardened crew of thirty each Sunday. Eventually, however, he felt convicted of the inhuman aspects of this work and became a strong and effective crusader against slavery.

  John returned to England, married Mary Catlett on February 12, 1750, and became the tide surveyor in Liverpool, checking all ships that entered the harbor for contraband goods. It was while John and Mary Newton were living in Liverpool for the next 9 years, that John developed a deeper interest in ministry and he came under the influence of George Whitfield and the Wesleys. But John decided to stay with the established Anglican Church rather than to join forces with these dissenters. And at the age of 39 he was ordained and began his first pastorate at the little village of Olney, near Cambridge, England. It was during his tenure there that he often shared his personal testimony with great effectiveness. He also loved to sing hymns that expressed the simple, heartfelt relationship he had discovered in Christ rather than the staid singing of the Psalms from the Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter. When he couldn't find enough hymns for this purpose he began writing his own along with his neighbor and author, William Cowper. In 1779 their combined efforts produced the famous Olney Hymns hymnal, containing 349 hymns of which 282 were written by Newton. One of them was Amazing Grace which summarized his life experiences with God in musical form.

   After 17 years of ministry in Olney he went to London as minister of St. Mary Woolnoth Church, which was located in the heart of London's banking district. He remained there for 27 years. Never did he lose his bluff sailor ways, but his genial manner and straightforward preaching won him many friends and endeared him to the people to whom he ministered. Newton preached almost to the end of his 82 years. When he was no longer able to read and was advised by his friends to give up preaching, he replied, "What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can still speak?" On another occasion before his death he is quoted as saying, "My memory is nearly gone, abut I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!" In a small cemetery of a parish churchyard in Olney, England, stands a granite tombstone with the following inscription:

"John Newton, Clerk, once an Infidel and Libertine,
a Servant of Slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy."

  Written by Newton himself prior to his death, it describes aptly the unusual and colorful life of this man.

  The first verse of this hymn says: "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me," which brings me to a closing question that's anything but trivial. What impact have you allowed the grace of God to have on your life?