The Saving One -- Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Mia Fieldes

 

They call themselves Starfield, so you might assume that this indicates they want the fans, the ones who attend their concerts and-or listen to the music they make, to look upward toward heaven and where the One about whom they sing is watching. And that sense of their mission is reflected in what they have to say about “The Saving One”, that they are signposts for Him. Tim and Jon Neufeld (founding members of the Starfield band), with probably eager agreement by their collaborator, Mia Fieldes, say that they are worship leaders, pointing people to Jesus and not to themselves, though culture tries to lift up the people who are on stage singing. (Indeed, He’s the one at the center of attention in this reproduction of the painting Ecco Homo (Behold the Man!), by 19^th Century artist Antonio Ciseri, which depicts Jesus preparing to offer Himself as a sacrifice when Pilate asked the rabid crowd what should be done with Him.) The song that Tim, Jon, and Mia wrote was released in Feb 2010, but what they voice in it has been around for centuries. And yet it still needs to be said, because everyone will be heading for a forever place, eventually.

 

The Neufelds are from a small church in Winnipeg, Canada, carrying a big message that they themselves and those who’ve watched them perform say begins and ends with the One about whom they sing. They haven’t spelled out in detail why they wrote ‘The Saving One’, but they really don’t need to do so. In an interview they gave, Tim made it clear that they exist to direct attention to the person who’s the focus of their music: Jesus Christ. That part of themselves in their worship direction is also evident to others, including a reviewer of the album that the song title headlines. They don’t suspend their message by telling only about what Jesus did, but they also want to challenge believers to live like they mean it, to insert themselves into daily living with a purpose. And so, the lyrics of the song state with conviction what the God-Son did, inviting us who believe to also be unequivocal about life through Him. He is synonymous with words they sing, like ‘mercy’, ‘selflessness’, ‘peace’, ‘pardon’, ‘rescue(d)’, ‘bounty’, ‘love’ and ‘glory’. That these contrast so radically from the lyrics that tell of humans without Him – like ‘shame’, ‘slavery’, ‘sin’, ‘grave’, ‘fear’, and ‘darkness’ – is their point. It’s as if they are saying ‘look at the chasm that He’s bridged!’ So, when this group sings ‘Heaven can’t contain…’ Him, what they are suggesting, without explicitly saying so, is that His life and sacrifice for humanity isn’t just for us to applaud because heaven is our future home. We can lift up what He did, who He is, and what that means for us now, while we’re still unglorified mortals. ‘I am redeemed’, they sing, and ‘the grave is overcome’ even before I enter it. That’s a proclamation we who are saved should be wearing on our faces and in our attitudes, so that others can hear about death being defeated, the darkness overshadowed by joy, the fear that is cast out, and ‘the enemy (who is) destroyed’. Who wouldn’t want to be on the winning side in this kind of episode?   

 

Are others not listening, or are we saying too little about what Starfield and the Neufelds have emphasized in ‘The Saving One’? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. There is so much to distract here on planet Earth; even the God-Son saw this phenomenon exert itself right in front of Him, including among those who’d been His most ardent followers. It’s just that the non-believers have travelled further along the path away from Him for longer than those who truly believe Him. But, I have to say that it is not easy some days, even for me as a Jesus-follower. How many emails do I get daily, how many bills must I manage and pay, how many tasks on my calendar? These are just a few. Are you and I really that different? If it’s overpowering some days, just turn it all off, at least for a few moments, and turn on what Tim, Jon, and Mia are saying. The biggest issue for me is one that He’s already solved.     

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=costCQfWZa0 (see the comment at the 3:50 – 4:20 mark)

 

See some comments about the band’s style and purpose when they perform in concert:  https://www.indievisionmusic.com/reviews/starfield-the-saving-one/

 

Read about the musical group that the two principal composers are in here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfield_(band)

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ecce_homo_by_Antonio_Ciseri_(1).jpg …The author died in 1891, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. The image may be found within this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus

The River -- Brian Doerksen, Michael Hansen, Brian Thiessen

 

Was one of them reading something from apocalyptic literature in his bible? One might think so, and perhaps what they found spoke collectively to this trio of composers – Brian Doerksen, Michael Hansen, and Brian Thiessen – and spurred them onward as they sang about “The River”. It wouldn’t be just any ordinary river (such as the River Wey [a main tributary of the Thames River in SE England] shown here, which is one of thousands of rivers on the Earth), because this one that they were coaxing hearers to approach would offer something that no other one could. And that’s not because there was something magical in the two molecules of hydrogen and one of oxygen therein; instead, this river’s Creator and Healer would be there, giving of Himself to the surroundings and to those who accept His invitation to come there. The words and music that the two Brians and Michael wrote undoubtedly reached out from their spirits to express something that all us mortals need to acknowledge in order to get well: we have an imperfection infection. That’s you, and me, and everyone else on this spinning spheroid. He’s got the way out of this imperfect mess, but one first has to be willing to get wet.

 

None of the three co-writers of ‘The River’ have shared what was transpiring around the time that they fashioned the song’s lyrics and music (published in January 2004), but maybe the song’s message says enough on its own. Perhaps someone was about to take his/her last breath (as in the case of one family who commented on this song’s special place in their memory as they watched a mother leave this life – see the comments at this link  The River | Brian Doerksen Lyrics, Meaning & Videos); or maybe someone that one or more of them knew was pondering his spiritual condition and the way to rise above life’s troubles. Either of those scenarios would fit what these composers, via their composition, suggest was happening. Maybe they even shared with someone some vivid words written centuries ago, from Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2, in which two different writers saw a very similar vision about a river and healing leaves on nearby trees. And so, it’s no accident that the song might have had an impact on people; that’s what special revelation like Ezekiel and John had is supposed to accomplish, and when it is turned into a unique mode of musical expression, it touches the human spirit. We all have ‘sins I cannot bear’, and need to get ‘cleanse(d)’ (v.1).  No one can force another, but when someone is ready to admit the truth about him-herself, that’s when the song’s chorus section can give such a person a loving nudge – ‘I am ready’, ‘surrender’, ‘take my hand…’, and ‘lead me closer’, can help that person express what’s buried deep within. Brian, Brian, and Michael penned the words that all of us need to know – ‘healing mercy’, and ‘freedom from despair’ (v.2) allows any of us to escape life’s dead-end alternative.

 

‘Life beyond compare’ (v.3) awaits, this threesome reminds us and others who honestly administer a self-examination. If you’re in physical prison, or worse yet nearing your deathbed, God will not shout His words louder for you. He’s already sent enough messengers in one or multiple forms of communication methods to get your attention. But, He’s a patient God and doesn’t want anyone to ‘perish’ (2 Peter 3:9); have you or someone close to you thought about that, that you’ve made it thus far because He’s still holding out hope that He’ll get to open the door to eternity for you? Could it be that ‘The River’ is but one more page in that journal of persuasion that He’s keeping about you? It’s still open today, but He will close it eventually. You got a better option than Him?     

 

Read about the principal composer here: Brian Doerksen - Wikipedia

 

See information on the image of the river here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wey_source_farringdon.jpg …This work has been released into the public domain by its author, SuzanneKn at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: SuzanneKn grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. Find the picture inside this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River

The Power of Your Name -- Lincoln Brewster and Mia Fieldes

 

What they wanted to see was a heartbeat. Lincoln Brewster tells in his remembrance of the development of “The Power of Your Name” that he and Mia Fieldes wanted there to be something of heart in the song in 2008. So, Lincoln actually recorded his son’s heartbeat before he was born, so that it could be inserted as a rhythmic reminder in the song’s recording. What he saw that day in the doctor’s office was probably what you’ve probably seen if you’ve ever had your heart monitored, or have seen a TV show about doctors and hospitals: what’s known as an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) (see the diagram here of one). Lincoln and Mia really wanted to inject Jesus’ ‘kingdom come’ prayer into their musical effort, to make plain from the lyrics’ first few lines that life as God values it is something we cannot ignore when we see how He approached people with compassion. He made us all to reflect Him, so how does it feel for us to see some people in desperate straits, those people to whom social injustice is a daily reality? Lincoln and Mia offer something that is a prayer that we could say every morning, as we contemplate how our days should unfold.   

 

The purpose of the Lincoln-Mia composition was to spur its hearers to deal with social injustice, to see people in the church ‘take a stand’ and make social injustice something that is resisted and reversed. The in-the-womb heartbeat was Lincoln’s way of inserting some special and intimate feeling from himself and his family into the song, and to say in an audible way that every person is a life that is unique and valuable, particularly to God, even before any of us were born. God has conceived what the life of each human will mean on this earth, so Christians who believe and live life at His direction will try to make certain others’ lives are not demeaned, but rather counted as precious and meaningful. To have the opportunity to live and experience life as God intended is what Lincoln and Mia felt was the message of the song they co-wrote. That means especially, as Lincoln shared in a video message, that God-followers should make sure they pursue life-affirming actions outside of the church buildings where they mouth belief in His way of life every Sunday. That means ‘comfort zone’ is excised from the people’s vocabulary, because so many people live in circumstances that are difficult, and which cannot be repaired easily. It’s hard work, and challenges will undoubtedly threaten the commitment of God’s people to endure in His work to make social justice a reality, and not just an aspiration. I should take the words and phrases that Lincoln and Mia have put to music – like ‘compassion’ that is expressed explicitly (in the chorus) and otherwise in many other words -- and internalize them. That would be the way to make ‘the power of (His) name’ consequential.

 

It really needs to be ‘in my heart’, as the words of Lincoln and Mia say at the end of verse two. If I really intellectually accept that Jesus’ Matthew 6/Luke 11 prayer is an action plan, then I will seek out ways to make His kingdom more real to the hurting. You don’t have to look very far to find opportunities to make social justice yours and my way of life, and there are literally hundreds of ways to do this. The first few words of the Lincoln-Mia song use the phrase ‘made for the streets’ to admit that some children are actually in that condition -- a place where far too many homeless find themselves, including in very prosperous nations and poorer ones too. I cannot help every child in the streets, but there is a group that does help give kids like this a brighter future in Nairobi, Kenya. It’s called Made in the Streets (see a link to it below), and is just one that you can join. Just listen, see, and have a heart.     

 

See the song story told here: the power of your name brewster fields lyrics - Search

 

Read about one way to change the lives of children in one social justice effort in Kenya here: MADE IN THE STREETS | Serving street-connected youth in Kenya

 

See information on the heartbeat image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SinusRhythmLabels.svg ... Re: the copyright the following statement is associated with the image: I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.