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The Grace of God
After my morning routine of Quite Time and prayers, I listen to hymns composed by late elder Gil Sang Kwon. Sometimes there are choirs that pop up on the viewing screen as well. So whenever I have time I listen to the choirs and do my daily choirs and business.
Korean and English alike, I did not expect so many beautiful choir hymns to be uploaded.
One of my favorite amongst many of the choir sang hymns; there is “World Vision Children’s Choir”. One of them specially was “God’s Grace” by Sang Woo Shin which gives me a huge inspiration. The lyrics are as follows:
It is my Lord God, who made me,
It is my Lord God, who called me
It is Lord God, who sent me.
All that I am, it is the grace of God
Till the end of my path to run
Till the very last breath of mine
He make me bear the cross of His
All that I am, it is the grace of God
The endless grace of God
Grace I can never repay
Embracing my life
It is the grace of God
With no more hesitance
I walk on that land
Holding me so tight
It is the grace of God
The composer who composed for this beautiful piece is pianist and composer Sang Woo Shin. After the passing of Elder Kwon I was seeking out a new composer for my lacking hymns and wanted to know more about composer Shin and wanted to contact him. Sadly in 2017 he had passed away from liver cancer. I still pray early in the morning that I would meet a brilliant composer to music to my hymns.
“World Vision Children’s Choir” was originally founded by Rev. Bob Pierce and Rev. Kyung Jik Han after the devastation of Korean War had left many children without parents – children who had special talent and had musical gift were chosen for that purpose. A short time after its creation they performed in front of the president of America and that made them ever more famous.
While I was serving as a member of the young adult’s ministry and children’s ministry in Seoul Young Nak Presbyterian Church, I knew a person who had studied in music. She was part of that famous choir. After the leaving that choir she continued to study and became a professor in vocal music. During the passing of Reverend Han, she had sung the eulogy song. I guessed she would’ve retired by now? Turns out through someone about her currents, she still serves as the choir member in Zion Choir of Young Nak Presbyterian Church still.
Nowadays early morning whenever I listen to this choir’s singing “God’s Grace” I get filled with huge grace. It is not the beautiful playing of the piano, rather whenever the camera closes up to one of the girls – 2nd to last out her face expression gives me a different feeling. Her face looks like she’s about to cry even before the hymn starts.
Some in the middle of hymn would put their hands on their chest; some holds their hand up high, and another one on chest another holding to the sky and so on.
Many of the children in the middle of the hymn looked like they are holding back tears while some are crying even (since the video is shot from far away, you can tell from their expressions).
The student I mentioned before would hold hands with another student next to her and sing the hymn – I can definitely tell one of them is now tearing up.
Whenever I see this video, I also tear up. As these children are in this world without parents, it is because they are able to come to this spotlight of singing glorious hymns to God, or despite living without parents the grace of God fills them with peace – I do not know but “All that I am, it is the grace of God” is what made them tear up.
Since the choir members had to hold back tears while singing, the quality of their singing would be impacted and in the flow of the choir. But instead of that feeling, I feel the grace of God flowing like a river in awe.
While I was still attending Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Korea, I remember a soloist who was crying then went back in. It is a deeply moving incident that will never be forgotten.
During the main service worship Sunday, one of the choir members came out to sing a hymn for offering. The offering hymn that day was “Nearer, My God, To Thee”. But what happened? After the 1st verse and the 2nd verse were starting, the soloist had stopped. Everyone was curious and surprised to see what was happening. Many thought she had forgotten the verse – but that would be impossible since that hymn was very popular at that time.
When I saw her face, she was in tears and crying. Perhaps it was her mother’s favorite hymn? Or was it that her faith’s testimony?
After the hymn accompaniment was over, she went back to sit down quietly. I think she was disappointed about her performance but I was awestruck by that. It is the wordless grace that had sublimated into tears.
The Children's Choir performance back in 2011 in Washington Korean Church (same exact hymn as the title above) would never be forgotten from my memory.
(2019. 06. 01) |
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Never Had I Experienced… 
The Grace of God