A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Eccl 4:12 NLT)
One of the reasons I love hockey so much is because it is the ultimate team sport. It takes 23-plus men to play at the professional level. Yes, there are unbelievable individuals within that 23-man team, but they can’t do it without the others. In fact, the greatest player to play the game, Wayne Gretzky, was the ultimate team player. He once said, “You’ll never catch me bragging about goals, but I’ll talk all you want about my assists.” (He had more career assists than many hall-of-famers had points: goals plus assists.)
I’m a big believer in the fact that alone we can only accomplish so much, but together we can accomplish so much more. When I received the screener DVD for the movie Amazing Grace, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I hadn’t heard too much about it, so I thought it was going to be about the writer of the super-famous hymn. I was surprised to find out it was about William Wilberforce, and his quest to end slavery in the British Empire. What MovedMe was that he didn’t, no couldn’t, do it alone… and neither can we.
William Pitt
First is Wilberforce’s friendship with William Pitt, the youngest Prime Minister in Britain’s history. Pitt encourages Wilberforce early on not only to pursue the end of slavery, quite an impossible task, but also to use his God-given gifts in politics. The movie depicts the new Christian, Wilberforce, struggling between serving God in the priesthood or continuing in politics. Pitt puts together an intervention of sorts to help Wilberforce decide to serve God by continuing in politics.
There is a great illustration in the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church about their members being like parts of the human body. They all can’t be eyes because well… that would be freaky; but also because there wouldn’t be any hearing or talking or walking. This seems to be what the “intervention” group was trying to tell Wilberforce. Yes we need more priests and missionaries, but we also need strong men using the gifts the Lord has given them in government. Thank God he decides to stay!
John Newton
Throughout the movie we see Wilberforce’s relationship with John Newton, the person who penned the hymn Amazing Grace. The first depiction of their relationship in the movie is Newton giving Wilberforce a swift kick in the butt. It’s the classic older mentor telling his mentee to stop hemming and hawing and get to work! Towards the end of the movie Newton finally puts aside his own issues and joins the fight… and just in time.
This is great because in our day and age we don’t value having an older mentor to show us the way. I know I don’t… I like hanging out with my peers, people around my age. But you know what? We haven’t experienced everything that my older counterparts have. I long for a Newton type man who I can go to for some wisdom… or even that swift kick in the butt!
Barbara Wilberforce
Towards the end of William Wilberforce’s life he starts to despair. He has fought year after year for the freedom of the slaves only to be defeated. He has a stomach ailment that is literally killing him, and nobody can seem to help him. Worse, many of his friends at this point have deserted him… even it seems Pitt has had to distance himself from Wilberforce. In comes Barbara Ann Spooner, who in the movie becomes Wilberforce’s intimate ally. She gives William, who is ready to not only give up the fight but curl up and die, a much needed boost.
Very early in the Bible’s Creation Account God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Many of us have no idea what that word helper is supposed to mean or meant in its original language. The word helper kinda turns women off, but the original Hebrew is ezer kenegdo, which is much better translated life-saving companion; or I like intimate ally.
Mrs. Wilberforce is depicted as both of those translations, for her beauty and straightforward wit saved William’s life and she came along side him to continue and win the fight against slavery. It’s a great tribute to her that in the end of the movie when his peers are cheering for William, he looks up at her as if to say, “I never could have done this without you.”
Since this DVD will release on Nov. 13th, the week of my ow intimate ally’s birthday (Nov 16th), I want to give her tribute. Linda, you are the epitome of Prov. 31 especially verse 10: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” I love you; happy birthday and thanks for being my life-saving companion! I love you more every day and I’d be lost without you…
Role Players
With any good team there are role players that come in and make an impact; this was so in Wilberforce’s life. There were people like Thomas Clarkson, the controversial figure that rode from town to town spreading the message as well as collecting information. Of course, there was Oloudaugh Equiano, the former slave who wrote his memoirs into a book that educated many on the slave trade. There were Henry and Marianne Thornton, the matchmaking couple that knew Barbara and William would make a great couple. Last but not least was the lawyer James Stephen who came up with the scheme to finally end slavery by changing the seemingly harmless law of flying a neutral flag on all ships, including slave ships.
There are so many more role players to list (just check out the Special Features: you’ll see); without all these people in Wilberforce’s life, he would never have been able to end slavery in the British Empire. We need each other, role players and major characters alike; we were made to work together not alone. We were made in the image of God, who in profound mystery is three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and yet one.
The lyrics to Amazing Grace are mostly sung in the first person, “That saved a wretch like me” and “I once was lost…” The last stanza turns from me and I to we:
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.
Newton is talking about heaven, where we will not spend eternity alone, but together with everyone who has accepted the amazing grace that God through his son Jesus Christ offers. I hope to sing with you there!
