Nostalgia and God's Amazing Grace

Our society loves nostalgia. We can all think of movies, music, or video games that we used to play. With them arise certain feelings and memories. One of the most popular tv series at the moment which I have really enjoyed is Stranger Things, which thrives off of people’s nostalgia. It draws us into a different and older time period. If I pull out my Spotify playlist, I could go through almost every song and name a specific time I listened to that song. The definition of that word nostalgia I keep using is this: “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past”.

There are three pieces of music in my life that I would say are my favourites, what I think to be the greatest most iconic pieces of music ever, or at least ones that have touched me personally. The first is the Star Wars theme. The thing about the Star Wars theme is that it is instantly recognisable and gives you a sense of nostalgia that brings you back to the first time you watched the film. The second, not as well known piece would be the Stargate movie theme. Not only does this piece have the nostalgia for me, but I don’t know many soundtracks that have been able to capture so many emotions with the one melody. They are able to use the same melody for drama, grief, mystery, joy, and romance. However, the last of the three, perhaps the greatest for me in my journey, is the simple hymn we all know Amazing Grace. Please have a listen to the song and when you listen really take in the lyrics of the song. Think about what they mean.

Amazing Grace was written by the Anglican minister John Newton who was born in London in 1725. I find the backstory of his life truly intriguing. John Newton was not at all religious. He was in fact a captain of a slave ship. In 1748 he had a conversion experience and began to read the Bible. Eventually he went on to play a major part in fighting to abolish slavery and in 1764 he was ordained a priest in the Church of England. Let’s take a look at the Chorus lyrics in comparison to his own life. The lyrics go:

“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”

Often these lyrics we might sing without truly meditating on their meaning. What is the centre of the Christian faith? Have a think, even if you do not believe. I would say the centre is the Cross. That is the centre of our faith. I’ve heard many say that Christianity without the cross is just some helpful moral tips. Many people try to dumb down our faith, water it down by removing the cross. The amazing grace of Jesus dying and resurrecting has to be the lens through which we view everything in theology. And we have to make that a reality in our lives today. You see Newton did not just write words: he lived these words. He was blind. He helped in trading human lives for money. A terrible wrong. Yet, I would argue, that after encountering the gospel, His eyes slowly began to open.

As he continued throughout his life Newton always would have returned to Jesus. Return to that faith which changed him as a person. Now viewing the world through a different lens he saw the evil of the slave trade. What did Jesus do on the cross? He set us free. Free from sin. What did Newton do? He sought to make the nostalgia of Christ’s work a reality in his situation. He fought to set people free, just like Christ did.

This is my message for us here. The thing about the gospel is that it is universal. It applies in every situation. We may not all believe in it, yet we all in some way recognise it, like a popular movie theme. The gospel is “true nostalgia”. Every time we hear about the Amazing Grace of God, we recall in our mind the message and it brings a level of fulfilment so we can make a change. Unlike listening to a piece of music, we are not remembering exactly our own memories and experience. We are remembering the work of Jesus. This “Christian nostalgia” is very important for our faith. If we want to know how to fix our lives today, we need to make that nostalgia of the gospel not just some story of the past, but a reality today. Just as a film can conjure up memories of a time past, the Gospel can take us to an event almost two-thousand years ago, make that even present today in our society.

Can I encourage you all to read about Jesus. Learn from figures such as John Newton and seek to make the work of Christ a reality in your own life.