Merry Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and pray for a great New Year!

How was your christmas gift exchange so far? Got what you wanted from Santa? For me, this is the first time I’m celebrating Christmas away from Kuala Lumpur. A new experience yet one that I will cherish. Why? Being away from the family and all the partying friends makes me appreciate them even more. The time we spend, when together, might feel like just any other day, but now when I’m away from them, I truly understand to not take the friendship we’ve build, the bond we’ve created, for granted.

Anyway, on this wonderful day, I’d love to share with you this song. Amazing Grace, sung by Il Divo recently at the X-Factor.

Lyrics of the song goes…

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.

T’was 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 that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.

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.

For those of you who’s curious about this song, here’s a quick history lesson thanks to Wikipedia.

“Amazing Grace” is a well-known Christian hymn by Englishman John Newton and which first appeared in print in Newton’s Olney Hymns (1779). The lyrics are based on his reflections on an Old Testament text he was preparing to preach on, adding his perspective about his own conversion while on his slave ship, the Greyhound, in 1748.

Newton’s lyrics have become a favourite for Christians, largely because the hymn vividly and briefly sums up the doctrine of divine grace. The lyrics are based on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17, a prayer of King David in which he marvels at God’s choosing him and his house. Newton apparently wrote this for use in a sermon he preached on this passage on New Year’s Day 1773, and for which he left his sermon notes, which correspond to the flow of the lyrics. (He entitled the piece “Faith’s review and expectation.”)

The song has also become known as a favorite with supporters of freedom and human rights, both Christian and non-Christian, in part because many assume it to be Newton’s testimony about his slave trading past.

Well, I hope this short note helps to enlighten the curious few on how this song came about. For a more detailed version of the history of Amazing Grace, you can check out the source I got this from, wikipedia.

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