“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…” Ah yes, the old classic tune which is the favorite of many and known by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is the tune of someone who has been utterly lost in life, utterly lost in sin, but has found forgiveness and release in the grace of God through Jesus Christ. It is the tune of the recovering drunk or addict. It is the tune of the former thief or embezzler. It is the symphonic conversion story of those who have a new life after a former one that ruined their families and their reputations. It is the conversion story of our faith. It is a tune that has NO appeal to my dad.
My dad has hated the tune for years, not disliked, but hated! He would whisper an inappropriate word under his breath every time it would start to be played at church. If a new pastor was coming into the congregation, my dad’s main concern was what the pastor’s favorite hymn was. Because, two out of three times it was Amazing Grace. My dad had the unfortunate luck of landing in an area of southern Nebraska with just one Lutheran Church, that had just one pastor, who had just one favorite song, that we would sing one Sunday after another! Yes, every Sunday in Geneva Nebraska was conversion Sunday as people sang with their hearts and my dad swore with his through yet another rendition of Amazing Grace.
But, why? Why was this such a hated song? What would cause a man who would soon be a man of the cloth to relearn the foul mouthed language of his youth…in church of all places?
Maybe, because it was not his song. I do not mean that he just did not like the tune or the words, but it truly was not a song that was about him. He never was really lost in life. He had a nice childhood, no abuse or drugs or alcohol. He had a normal teenage life. And, his adult life was going as planned, one might say it was even blessed. Why did he hate it so much? Maybe because, by singing it every single Sunday he felt that the church was trying to stuff a conversion story down his throat that simple was not his conversion story. He was not a wretch. He was not lost. He never needed to be found. He never needed any great moment of conversion by God!
I do not think that my dad is alone in this. I have known many people who have grown in the church, come faithfully to worship, brought their children up in the faith, done well in life both economically and emotionally, and have never had any sort of great conversion event as described in the song.
Do not read me wrong. It is good that the lost and broken people of the world have the song, because, in hearing it, they will know that they belong. The great sinners of the world know they have life in Christ.
But, what about the not-so-great sinners of the world? Where do they fit in the church? If they are not the beloved sinners of the story, are they the hated Pharisees? Maybe, but probably not. They certainly cannot be Jesus. Do you not see the problem here? These people who have grown their lives in the church, feel utterly out of place in their community. Where is their story? How does a normal, feeling pretty blessed in life person fit in?
In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul has a dramatic conversion story, but do not put too much stock in it because Paul himself does not. In fact, Paul’s own conversion story is just as normal and mundane as the best of us!
Look here in Philippians, where Paul goes on about how blessed he is: “I was circumcised on the correct day; I am a member of God’s chosen people, not only that, but my tribe is great! I am more Hebrew than most Hebrews…you cannot get too much more Hebrew than I; as to God’s law, I’m a Pharisee…no one follows the law closer; as to righteousness…I’m pretty much your law abiding, kind, loving, blameless sort of guy.” No, Paul was not lost. Paul was not down in the dumps. Paul was normal. Maybe more than normal, Paul was blessed.
But, notice that God does not shut Paul out of the church because he lacked a good conversion story.
What is God’s word to Paul? What is God’s word to those of us who are just normal, with no great faith conversion stories? What is God’s word to those of us who feel left out somehow because we lack God’s forgiving touch for the simple reason that we really have not needed it all that much? It goes something like this; you think you have been blessed? You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“All of that blessing that you have had in your life? It is nothing compared to what I have in store for you,” says God. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. What I have in store for you is going to make all of the good things of life look like garbage in comparison. Do you have a nice house and a nice piece of property? Looks good? Well, it ain’t nothing compared to living in Christ. It looks like living in a back woods shack compared to living in Christ.”
What a conversion story! What a promise! It makes Paul excited! It makes Paul giddy! He ain’t seen nothing yet! Life has been good so far, he wonders just how much better life in Christ will be?
You can hear the excitement and anticipation in his voice as he talks about trying to live his life in Christ! He talks about how it is like he is running a race…not one that he can win of course, because Christ has already won it for him, but he runs the race as if he could win it. He runs the race of grace and service to others as if he might win. The excitement in his tone is very contagious, like the cold I have…only without the bad side effects. You too can feel the excitement can you not; of trying to outdo Christ in grace, outdo Christ in loving the sinner and outcast, and outdo Christ in sacrifice for the neighbor? Not that you can outdo Christ. You are not going to win a contest against Christ of course. But racing is fun anyway; just like the little brother who races against his older brother hoping to win the race someday. The little brother probably will not win any time soon, if ever, but is it not fun to try?
Now, that is a conversion story that most of us who have not had amazing grace lives can cling to!
So, for all of you with “you ain’t seen nothing yet” conversion stories, I offer you a challenge. I bet you cannot love more than I. I bet you cannot serve the poor more than I. I bet you cannot love outsiders and sinners more than I. This is real challenge to you today. I am placing a bet with you. I bet you cannot reach the goal of living in Christ faster than I. Go ahead, I dare you to take me up on the bet! Hold on world, God has a whole bunch of people racing. Hold on world, you ain’t seen nothing yet, God is going to come through in a big way.
All Scripture quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyrighted, 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used by permission. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment