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Singing is one of the most natural ways of expressing our deepest and most heartfelt emotions. The very first song a new-born baby hears is that of a mother who hushes her baby to sleep with the sweet sounding words of a lullaby. I can only imagine how beautiful Mary’s lullaby must have sounded when she first sang it to her Son, Jesus. Yes, I know the Bible does not tell us that she sang Him a lullaby. What we do know is that she sang her Magnificat when the angel Gabriel told her that she would bring forth a Son and she must call Him Jesus because He would save sinners.
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.(Luke 1:46-55)
So profoundly great was the salvation He, the Son of God, wrought on the cross of Calvary that two of his disciples were able to sing at midnight after they had been brutally beaten in prison. This song eventually led to the life-giving salvation of the prison ward who fearfully wanted to take his own life when an earthquake opened the prison gates. We have no idea what the song sounded like but it may just as well have been something that sounded like “Amazing Grace.”
When I was a kid we were taught that cowboys never cry but I couldn’t contain my tears when I listened to Nana Mouskouri singing the well-known hymn Amazing Grace by John Newton. Here’s a portion of the Wikipedia entry on the original lyrics of Amazing Grace:
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.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised 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.
Some versions of the hymn include an additional verse:
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.
The tears I shed were tears of gratitude for His great salvation. However, the tears I shed when I recently read an article on the blog of one of our most revered and distinguished South African clergy brought tears of shame, anger and disgust to my eyes. You can read the entire article here. As you can see Zonja Gerber and JC voiced their concern over his article. I too commented on his blog but as with all the other comments I wrote the past month, he deleted it without giving the slightest explanation. My comment he deleted read as follows:
I agree with you Zonja.
Apparently Stephan does not know what the difference is between the song “Amazing grace” and “Kill the boer, kill the farmer.”
South Africa, please listen: We have no need to shed the blood of our fellow South Africans (black, white or brown). And we have no need to sing songs of death and destruction. Jesus Christ has already shed his precious blood on the cross for us all and He has already conquered death when He was raised from the grave. What He wants for you is to LIVE unto all eternity. His invitation still stands today. You only need to come to Him:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
His grace is indeed AMAZING and AWESOME.
Stephan, I have often pleaded with you to return to Jesus Christ and his immutable Gospel. I do so again. Please return to Him. He will never turn you away.
