G.R.A.C.E.

I never expected a “grace war” as my son and family sat down for dinner.  The oldest, now nearly five, had been the “grace say-er” ever since he could talk.  But now his brother, 3 ½, was being asked to give thanks for the food. They know three “graces” at this point: “Come Lord Jesus,” “God Is Great” and the Johnny Appleseed song (which really, at its “core”—pun intended—does express gratitude).  That day, grandson #2 was asked to pray. His choice did not please grandson #1. We ended up “gracing” the food twice that day.

I smile over the memory, but I also realize that the Bible’s use of the word “grace” is so big that I cannot get my mind wrapped around it.  I once heard this acrostic for GRACE, acknowledging Christ’s death on our behalf:  “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”  It’s easily remembered, but barely touches the depths of true grace.

Many of us have also learned a Gospel song whose fourth verse expresses gratitude for this “marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe.”  The hymn we know as “Grace Greater Than all our Sin,” written in the late 1800s, didn’t come out of some ivory writing tower.  Instead, it was the fruit of a livf of service to the local church by a never-married woman whose pastor-father died when she was only fifteen.  Julia Harriette Johnson (1849-1919) wrote about five hundred hymn texts, but this remains her best known.  In 1997 it was included a treasury of best-loved hymns.

Who was she? A pastor’s daughter.  A woman who remained single all her life, which allowed her to extravagantly serve her large Peoria church for forty-one years as a leader of the church’s Missionary society, Sunday school superintendent, teacher, and leader of the infant’s class, where she loved on hundreds of babies.

She was 61 when she wrote “Grace Greater Than All Our Sin.”  I try to imagine her at her desk, wrestling with poetic ways to contrast God’s abundant grace with our deep, dark stain of sin.  Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace....  Those lines bring to mind Romans 5:1-2:  “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

About a decade earlier she wrote “Saving Grace,” whose chorus expresses her solid hope of eternal life in Heaven:

Then I shall know as I am known,/And stand complete before the throne;

Then I shall see my Savior’s face,/And all my song be saving grace.

It’s important to acknowledge that talented musicians helped bring such wonderful poetic texts to our worship times.  The music for “Grace Greater Than All Our Sin” was composed by Daniel Towner, who besides writing for and compiling many hymns was music director at Moody Bible Institute. That’s why, in many hymnals, the tune is called “Moody.”  Others of his better-known tunes were written for “At Calvary” and “Trust and Obey.”  Coincidentally, they both died the same year, 1919—he, while leading music for an evangelistic meeting!