My friend Michael Emmett has been promoted to glory. Born in 1955, he entered eternity yesterday. His life was a story of two halves: the first marked by crime; the second transformed by Christ.
Michael grew up in the shadow of Britain’s underworld. The son of a notorious gangster, he was groomed for crime almost from birth. He once told me, ‘I didn’t just fall into crime; it was the family business.’ For years, he lived that life of fast money, false loyalty and constant danger.
It all came crashing down in the 1990s when Michael was arrested for his part in bringing drugs into the UK. The case made headlines. He was prosecuted, imprisoned, and shamed. But as so often happens, the darkest chapter became the doorway to grace.
In prison, Michael encountered Jesus Christ. The turning point came when my friend Emmy Wilson went into the prison to preach in the chapel. Michael listened, and that day the love of Christ broke through. He discovered that forgiveness is real, grace is greater than guilt, and that Christ’s cross is strong enough to break even the hardest chains.
His powerful testimony is told in his autobiography Sins of Fathers. In its pages, he doesn’t glorify his past but he glorifies the One who forgave his past. It is a raw, moving and hope-filled story that has helped many others believe that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.
I had the joy of interviewing Michael on Facing the Canon. He was funny, candid and deeply moving. He spoke with the authenticity of a man who knew the pit and knew the One who lifted him out of it. Watch the interview here.
Earlier this year, Killy and I joined Michael and Emmy for afternoon tea at the prestigious Fortnum & Mason. We spent two hours swapping redemption stories and laughing together. I will treasure that memory – the warmth, the humour, and the sheer joy of people whose lives had been radically changed by Christ.
Michael was living proof that grace is greater than guilt, that mercy is stronger than shame, and that Christ can take the most broken story and make it whole. As William Booth once said, ‘The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.’ Michael surrendered his life to Jesus, and in doing so discovered real freedom.
Today, Michael is home. Free indeed. And those of us who remain are grateful for his friendship, his laughter, his courage, and his testimony. He has finished the race, he has kept the faith, and he is now with the Saviour he loved.
Well done, Michael. We’ll see you again.
And to you, the reader: the same Jesus who transformed Michael’s life can transform yours. You may feel too far gone, too broken, or too burdened by the past, but you are not beyond the love of Christ. Michael’s story is a reminder that it is never too late for a new beginning.
Grace and peace,
J.John
