I blogged this past summer about the thirteen new hymns being released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’ve enjoyed singing some of them, including “My Eye is On the Sparrow.”

I didn’t know that Whitney Houston has a version of that song. I learned about that in Primary when the chorister played that version for the children. So beautiful! Those kiddos probably don’t even know who Whitney is. Anyway, a new batch of songs has been released, including “Amazing Grace.” See the video below about the new batch. Fun fact: I was a bit surprised when I saw the bishop who appears at the 32 second mark. At first I thought he was my bishop from when I lived in AZ but it turns out it be his twin brother, who is also a bishop, LOL.

I’m so excited about Amazing Grace in the new hymnbook. It’s about time! It’s now Hymn #1010 in the Hymns–For Home and Church. That’s the new hymnbook that will published in English, Spanish, Portugese, and French in the next few years. For a long time I wondered why we didn’t have Amazing Grace, that popular classic Christian hymn, in our collection. It is probably my absolute favorite hymn to sing, because of the way I can always hit that high C (when it’s played in the key of F) while singing the “me” at the end of the poignant phrase, “…that saved a wretch like me!” It just feels so lovely to be wrapped in the love of Jesus as I sing that high note.

My life was forever changed when my neighbor and friend told me that her son, Brent, a scholar of ancient languages, had studied the original meaning of the Greek word for grace, “charis,” He discovered that when Paul used that Greek word in the New Testament, that at the time, that word meant a reciprocal relationship of giving gifts back and forth. So if Paul used that word to describe God’s grace, that means Paul expects us to treat God’s grace the same way. To treat it was a two-way street, of giving back and forth, and not a one-way ticket to salvation.

Here’s the summary of the book on amazon.com:

“In ancient Greece and Rome, Charis was a system in which one person gave something of value to another, and the receiver gave service, thanks, and lesser value back to the giver. It was the word used to describe familial gifts, gifts between friends, gifts between kings and servants, and gifts to and from the gods. In Rome, these reciprocal transactions became the patron-client system. Orderly gift exchange is a key building block in the development of societies.

“Charis (grace) is the word New Testament authors, especially Paul, sometimes used to explain Christ’s gift to people. But what is the nature of the gift? Since the fifth century, a number of Christian scholars have taught that grace is something bestowed by God freely, with little or nothing required in return. This book sets out to show that ‘free grace’ is not what Paul and others intended.

“The practice in the ancient world of people granting and receiving favors and gifts came with clear obligations. Charis served New Testament authors as a model for God’s mercy through the atonement of Jesus Christ, which also comes with covenantal obligations.

“LDS scriptures make it clear that being saved comes through grace accompanied by forsaking sin and making and keeping covenants. For Latter-day Saints, being saved by grace means coming to Christ, being baptized and joining the community of saints, and continually living with thanks and praise for God’s gift. All of these expressions of grace are found both in the Greek and Pauline use of the word. Knowing what charis means helps us understand what God expects us to do once we have accepted his grace.”

So how did learning about the original meaning of grace, charis, change my life? I started praying differently. Instead of always asking for blessings, I started committing gifts to God in personalized covenants. I started promising to and covenanting with Him that I would give Him gifts. He doesn’t need my gifts, of course, but giving these gifts has helped me and helps me grow to be a better instrument for Him. It’s too personal to blog about what I promised God to do, but I have definitely felt God appreciating my gifts in our charis-based relationship and blessing me even more. He has honored my gifts by giving me more gifts. Whenever I feel stuck in my life, I know maybe I’m taking this grace for granted, or presuming upon God’s grace. It’s time for me to reevaluate, to be more consistent in the gifts I’ve already promised and maybe give more.

Here’s more about the nine new hymns. I like that the commentator says that these hymns help “soften the crust of our worship.”