The Color Purple: Amazing Grace That Saves a Wretch - Black Church (Ephesians 2:8-9)

In The Color Purple, we journey alongside Celie, a young woman whose life has been steeped in pain and rejection. For years, she has been silenced by the voices of those who tell her she is nothing—ugly, worthless, damned to a life of despair. But amidst that darkness, a spark ignites when she meets Shug Avery, a bold and spirited woman who sees beyond the scars, beyond the labels. Shug’s laughter rings like music in Celie’s ears, and with her, Celie begins to rediscover herself. She learns that she is not defined by the harsh words of her past, but by a deeper truth: she is loved, valued, a precious child of God.

As I reflect on Celie’s transformation, I can hear the hymn echoing through the corners of my heart: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” The Black Church has long understood this grace, a grace that flowed from the depths of suffering to uplift a people once told they were merely property. Enslaved men and women, torn from their homes, found refuge in the arms of a loving Savior who calls them His own.

In Ephesians 2:8-9, we are reminded that it is by grace we are saved, through faith—and this is not from ourselves; it is the gift of God. Salvation is a gift, not a reward for good deeds. This profound truth dismantles the walls that separate us. If we are all equally recipients of grace, then no one is superior, and every soul is worthy of dignity. What the world deems “wretched,” grace reclaims as “beloved.”

Brothers and sisters, in the embrace of our community, let us remember that we are called to lift one another up, reflecting the love of Christ. Just as Celie learned to see herself as God sees her, we too are invited to claim our identity as beloved children of the Most High, worthy of grace and filled with purpose. Let us lean into this grace that transforms and dignifies, for in the eyes of God, we are never too far gone to be made whole.