…and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. (Luke 7:38 )
I recently attended the Minnesota Teen and Adult Challenge Gala in
Mankato. The organization runs an addiction recovery program and the
Gala is a fundraiser for them. One of the features of the event is singing
by the MnT&AC Choir.
As the 150 members of the choir took the stage, it was obvious a lot of
these people had lived some pretty rough lives. Indeed, as the crowd
listened to their testimonies, it was clear some had made a virtual
career of being in and out of the court system from a very young age.
Many of the people before me had been sentenced by that very court
system to participate in the program as a very last chance to turn their
lives around.
As they sang “Amazing Grace” I could not help noticing their faces.
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found.
Yes, hands were raised in praise, but many of them were crying.
My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
One young red-haired lady, who was standing more or less in front of
me in the second row, was shedding many tears as she sang.
And I could see on her face such praise and gratitude as I had never
seen on anyone’s face before. In those tears, I could see how far she
had fallen and how far Jesus had lifted her. I could see a deep, deep love
in those tears—both her love for God and Jesus’ love for her. There was
worship in those tears for giving hope to a life that had no hope at all.
Her chains were gone. She had truly been set free. And her tears spoke
praise louder than the 150 voices before me.
And I no longer saw a bunch of drug addicts and criminals before me.
I saw 150 children of an amazing, loving God who was willing to die for
each and every one of us to heal us and save us and make us heirs of His
very own kingdom.
Today’s Praise
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen
his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and
truth. (John 1:14 )