God on Broadway - Hamilton: : Amazing Grace, Sacred Calling and A Vision of Democracy
Hamilton: Amazing Grace, Sacred Calling and A Vision of Democracy
Ephesians 4:1-7
Series: God On Broadway
August 24, 2025
Rev. Cynthia Cochran-Carney, First Presbyterian Church, San Rafael, CA
I plead with you, then, in the name of our Redeemer, to lead a life worthy of your calling with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the peace that binds you together. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope when you were called. There is one Redeemer, one faith, one baptism, one God and Creator of all, who is over all, who works through all, and is within all. Each of us has received God’s grace in the measure in which Christ has offered it. Ephesians 4:1-7 Inclusive Bible
A. Opening
Hamilton opens with a question: “How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore / and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten / spot in the Caribbean by providence / impoverished, in squalor / grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” The rest of the show seeks to answer that question.
In his personal life, Hamilton experienced both remarkable accomplishments and heartbreaking failure. He grew from an orphan from the Caribbean to one of the most powerful men in the new nation. Hamilton was a Christian who wrote hymns in his early life. He later marries Eliza Schuyler, an extraordinary woman from a prominent family. In the musical, Miranda gives us glimpses from Hamiliton’s life - the people, the events and spiritual transcendent moments of joy, grief and love.
B. Grace
Grace is front and center at the beginning of the story. Hamilton grows up on island of Nevis, in the British West. His father leaves the family when he’s five. His mother dies when he’s ten. When Hamilton was 17, a hurricane devastated the island. He’s experienced an unimaginable amount of tragedy and trauma.
After the hurricane, he writes this eloquent letter to his father. A local newspaper picks it up and a group of businessmen read the letter. They decide to raise money to send Alexander to America to be educated because they see his potential. Everything that Alexander Hamilton becomes in life is built on this foundation of grace. God’s grace flowing through people. It’s a gift he didn’t deserve and never could have earned.
Ephesians – Grace Greek word - Grace – Charis
1. kindness, goodwill, or unmerited favor, 2. the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life. 3. Gratitude
4:1 serves as a pivotal appeal from Paul for the early church in Ephesus to manifest who God has called them to be (which is the core focus of Ephesians 4-6). Live a life worthy. The Greek word used is axios, an economically-based term describing how the two sides of a scale are to be in equilibrium. So the appeal is for Christian living to be in equilibrium with God’s call. Christians live out who God has already made them to be. Christian conduct flows out of the new reality created and puts into concrete action their new reality in Christ.
Throughout Ephesians, a hallmark of new standing is unity. In chapter 2 the God-established unity was imaged as the tearing down of the dividing wall which formerly had separated and segregated Gentiles, non-Jews. A deep sense of equality – Jew and Gentile, men and women,…The unity derived from and maintained by the Spirit. It is the unified divine condition of one body, one Spirit, one God in which we have one hope, one faith, one baptism (4:4-6).
The early church took the life and teachings and actions of Jesus and were people of The Way – a welcoming, inclusive vision of people and creation. In one light, basis for our country. Imperfect union. Theologically yes, to love our neighbor. Included are Samaritans, women…..
So Hamilton experiences grace and yet struggles. The musical captures this tension of him coming from nothing and trying to make his way into this new country. At the same time, he experienced more success than he could have ever imagined. But he lived with this sense of shame that he was not worthy, and his family was not worthy. And he dealt with that for most of his life. He had a calling, gift of grace, and yet made wrong choices in life. His ego, pride.
How do we think about grace? To know we are beloved by God, the Holy One, source of Love. Unconditional love. A lifelong journey of living not from a place of fear or shame or regret but from a place of love, gratitude, of healng.
Character of Hamiliton has this urgency about life. Called to do more, be more, make his mark. A vision of forming a democratic republic. Let’s listen to his song about his sense of self and calling. “Not Giving Away My Shot.” Feel for rhythm of the songs.
Video https://youtu.be/zCoiiOMEXbs?si=fnDMv-vPl8yX55d2
C. Democracy
So what does he see and want to do in that moment of history? Here are a few key moments in US history highlighted in the musical.
Hamilton's Arrival in America: The musical opens with Hamilton's arrival in New York, where he meets Aaron Burr and other revolutionaries who will shape his future.
Alexander Hamilton: A hot-headed, ambitious, and impulsive man who always writes "like he's running out of time."
Aaron Burr: Hamilton's friend-turned-rival. Unlike Hamilton, Burr is more reserved and cautious, but no less ambitious — he wants to be in "the room where it happens."
Marquis de Lafayette is a Frenchman who fights in the Revolutionary War and is loyal to Hamilton, while Thomas Jefferson is pompous and is one of Hamilton's enemies.
George Washington: Washington, military leader, a man with a strict moral code.
The Revolutionary War:
Hamilton serves as the right hand man aide-de-camp to General George Washington, playing a vital role in the American victory.
As the country is being formed, a democratic republic and the war with the British begins, 12 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterian coming from Scotland or Scotch Irish. Similarities of Pres. System – elected leaders, checks and balances, no one has too mu power.
The Constitutional Convention:
Hamilton is instrumental in the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He writes 51 of the Federalist Papers, and founds America’s national bank.
He helped establish a foundation for American democracy rooted in representative government, a strong Constitution, and the rule of law.
Here are some key aspects of democracy as portrayed in the musical:
• Collaboration and Compromise among leaders.
• Challenges to Democracy: fragility of early American democracy. The Election of 1800, with its tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr and the subsequent tiebreaker in the House of Representatives, highlights the potential for instability and the importance of a peaceful transfer of power.
• Legacy and Continuous Struggle: The musical ultimately suggests that American democracy, despite its achievements, remains a work in progress, a "great unfinished symphony" (“The World Was Wide Enough") that reflects ongoing struggles for equality and inclusion,.
The casting of actors of color in the roles of the founders further underscores this theme, reimagining who can claim ownership and participate in the American story.
Hamilton asks audiences to look closer, to notice that each military tactic, each new law, each financial decision, each decision about shaping a constitution and government with freedom of religion, checks and balances, was the result of deliberation and compromise. How to forge a unity across differences – how Paul calls the people of Ephesus to be one, united at the core.
As you watch the political debates and listen to the songs, the audience is invited to celebrate the history of the United States, this experiment of democracy. Founders who were brave and flawed. Truly amazing nation. At the end of the show, I felt very patriotic. It is also an invitation to look at the realities of our 250 years that have not lived up to our ideals – slavery, segregation, racism, economic disparity, the times the 3 branches of government do not provide checks and balances to power.
D. Legacy
Theme of the musical Hamilton is legacy and how one's actions shape their place in history. The musical explores themes of ambition, determination, love, loss, and the founding of a nation, all through the lens of Alexander Hamilton's life. What is his legacy? He is very concerned about that.
Essentially, Hamilton believes his worth is determined by what he accomplishes. Early in the musical, a character warns that Hamilton “will never be satisfied,” a phrase that takes on multiple meanings throughout the show. Several times, Eliza, Hamilton’s wife, urges Hamilton to “look around,” and asks, “isn’t this enough?” They survived the war, had a child, and are building a happy life together. Isn’t that enough? For Hamilton, the man obsessed with his legacy, the answer is no, it’s not enough.
What is our legacy? Do we ask that question of our lives? Determining the value of our lives by what we do: there’s always more that can be done—maybe we will never be satisfied. How do we take time to reflect on our deeper lives and find ways we are enough and we have enough? And who tells our story?
…..
At the end of the first act of the show, Hamilton is happily married, has just had his first son, and is the newly appointed Treasury Secretary. Then in Act ll, Hamilton makes choices that bring ruin on himself. He commits adultery, is blackmailed, and winds up publicly confessing his betrayal of his wife. What will be his legacy? Who will tell his story?
F. Grace and Forgiveness
The show acknowledges that grace doesn’t depend on Hamilton’s strength. In the beautiful and power song “It’s Quiet Uptown,” we hear the culmination of his personal mistakes and tragedies. Hamilton is estranged from his wife Eliza after a very public infidelity that also ended his political career. When their son is killed in a duel, Alexander and Eliza struggle to mourn their child while there is still such a gulf between them.
Hamilton hits bottom and lets go of his pride. He pleads with Eliza, reprising a song from earlier in the show, but now singing her melody and recognizing that he’s unworthy of her. She stands, expressionless and motionless, as Alexander finally meets a problem he can’t talk his way out of. His words can’t fix these things. Nothing can. If she would just let him stay, let him be with her, that would be enough. He is full of remorse.
Eliza’s sister Angelica narrates the moment as the couple stands forlorn in their garden. It’s perhaps the quietest moment in a show that can approach frenetic.
Video https://youtu.be/yNKOONthrsc?si=6fCbNbWuJD393bWa&t=150
There is a grace too powerful to name
We push away what we can never understand
We push away the unimaginable
They are standing in the garden
Alexander by Eliza’s side
She takes his hand
Forgiveness. Can you imagine?
Ending
The final scene of Hamilton offers one of the most moving moments of the production. Hamilton has been shot and killed in his duel with Aaron Burr. Eliza, devastated and heartbroken, must figure out how to live the rest of her life without her beloved husband and son. After a season of intense and overwhelming grief, she finds a new calling. She speaks out against slavery. And she feels called by God to establish an orphanage in New York City.
She brings hope to children. In the musical, she sings about how she sees her husband in each of these orphans that she cares for. Eliza gives the rest of her life in this sacred project. She writes her story. Part of the final song – “Who Lives Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.”
Video https://youtu.be/FePK4Ban17A?si=R36e-f9e46dFdaTC&t=54
May we continue to reflect on the story of our country – how do we tell that story?
How to find ways to look at successes, failures and
ongoing the unfinished symphony of US? We must play our part.
May we live in deeper gratitude for moments of God’s grace, seek forgiveness and healing.
Trust in that holy love as we experience grief and loss.
May we seek to offer a legacy of love and compassion, justice and peace. Amen.
Resources
Kevin Cloud, God and Hamiliton: Spiritual Themes From the Life of Alexander Hamiliton & The Broadway Musical He Inspired. Deep River Books. 2018. Pages 11-29.
“The Gospel According to Hamilton,” mockingbird.com, 7.6.20
https://mbird.com/art/the-gospel-according-to-hamilton-2/
“Hamilton, Temptation, and Grace,” aleteia.com, 6/17/2016
https://aleteia.org/2016/06/17/hamiltons-tony-winning-guide-to-temptation-and-grace/
“God & Hamilton: The spiritual messages behind the musical everyone's talking about,” premierchristainity, 2/20/2018
https://www.premierchristianity.com/home/god-and-hamilton-the-spiritual-messages-behind-the-musical-everyones-talking-about/2420.article