As cool as that is, what really drew me to St Mary is the fact that it was the church where John Newton, Anglican priest and writer of the hymn "Amazing Grace", pastored for 27 years.
If you've been around me or listened through my sermons for any length of time then you probably already know that John Newton is one of the giants of faith. Baptists don't usually believe in patron saints but Newton may be an exception that changes the rule for me. He is a hero, not because he lived a perfect life, but because he allowed God to work a story of redemption into his very imperfect -- he called it "wretched" -- life. A slave trade ship captain whose heart was taught to fear God amidst a terrible storm, Newton gave his life to Christ's redemptive grace and surrendered his life to ministry, and then later publicly repenting of his involvement in the slave trade and becoming one of England's most outspoken truth tellers about its horrors. He whose soul was set free from the chains of sin then gave himself to the cause of setting others free from the bonds of slavery.
As I made my way around the perimeter of St Mary, I discovered something surprising in back of the church. There, hidden between St Mary and a modern walkway, is a blackened and weathered image nailed to the back of the church. It is a picture of a ship at sea. An image which no doubt struck fear in the hearts of Africans as they saw it advance on their continent, and an image which later was a source of shame for Newton as it reminded him of his own wretched behavior toward his fellow human beings. Yet, that image has been transfigured; it stands now as a sign of God's providence over all in the boat amidst raging seas, and it stands as a sign of God's ability to bring new sight to even the blindest of us all and to lead home even the furthest -- even a wretch like me.
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