My Chains Are Gone!
Worship is legacy.
It’s March 21, 1748. A slave ship is prowling the African coast searching for slaves to capture and return to the Americas to sell as slaves. While they sailed, a massive storm blew in that swept several of the men on the ship overboard and threatened to capsize the boat and kill everyone. The captain fastened himself to the wheel and prayed, “Lord, have mercy on us.” The storm abated after eleven harrowing hours and the captain’s life was changed forever.
He returned home to England where he began studying the Bible, speaking about his conversion, and eventually was ordained as a minister. Twenty-five years later, reflecting on his horrible past carrying humans to sell into slavery and God’s mighty deliverance, John Newton wrote what might be the most popular song of all time… Amazing Grace.
The ”My chains are gone” chorus was written in 2007 by Christ Tomlin for the movie “Amazing Grace.” I highly recommend it if you’ve never seen it. It tells the true story of William Wilberforce. He was a member of Parliament who was led to Christ under the ministry of John Newton. Because of that, he was an ardent abolitionist. At the height of the transatlantic slave trade, Wilberforce nearly singlehandedly fought to end slavery in the British colonies. He won in the early 1800s, and John Newton lived to see the signing of the law. As Chris Tomlin reflected on the legacy of these two men, he was struck by the idea of the chains of slavery and how people could pay a price to free a slave… a ransom. From those ideas flowed the chorus that we sing today.
Think about Newton and Wilberforce. You have one man who was miraculously saved and wrote a very personal song about his gratitude that God would reach down and save a “wretch” like him. His ministry and that song inspired another man who would free tens of thousands around the globe and end slavery in the largest empire at the time. Newton could have allowed the guilt of his past to destroy him. It certainly haunted him until he died, but instead of focusing on that, he chose to focus on God’s grace. Wilberforce could have chosen to focus on the impossibility of his task. It certainly seemed insurmountable, but instead of focusing on that, he chose to focus on God’s grace.
We have the opportunity to do the same. We were all chained by our sin. Jesus breaks and removes those chains, but how often do we wrap those chains around us again? How often do we wrap others up in the chains from which Jesus has ransomed them? Pastor Philip has spoken for several weeks on forgiveness. Will you accept the forgiveness offered to you and lay down your chains? Will you forgive others and set aside their chains? Imagine the legacy of generations you may start, just like John Newton and William Wilberforce. It starts with you.
Songs for this Sunday
Won't Stop Now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXQGTInPpZU
Battle Belongs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=johgSkNj3-A
It Is Well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ysQCTJSAcc
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MZgXXUW08Q
Way Maker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXQGTInPpZU
And we are learning:
Still God, Still Good