Amazing Grace, LBW 448 & ELW 779
1 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.
2 ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed!
3 Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
4 The Lord has promised good to me;
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
5 When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
Devotion
Each Sunday for many years our congregation has led a worship service at a local nursing home. A pianist and leader-preacher take charge. Favorite hymns are chosen by the residents if time permits. We soon discovered that every week someone would ask for Amazing Grace. It is not an old hymn. It was not sung until the early 19th century. Why should it have become so popular? Do folks identify as sinful 'wretches'? Is it that the tune, Southern Harmony, is so catchy? Are senior citizens preoccupied with going 'home' to heaven? Or is it more likely the repeated reference to God's grace which answers our universal human need? Maybe we need to ask those who request it, except that now, without their asking for it, it has become our closing hymn.
Prayer
Yes, Lord, your grace is amazing. We do not deserve it, yet it shines on us every day. Amen.