Let Us Be You -- Clarissa Cox and Michael Lusk

 

What was on the minds of Clarissa Cox and Michael Lusk when they wrote some lyrics and married them up with notes that were published in 2005? Perhaps it would be close to the mark to suggest that Clarissa and Michael were thinking about helping people who were depressed because of the overwhelming atmosphere of their lives. Were they street people, maybe those who were just hungry, as God the Son Himself once observed? (See an image of loaves and fish, a painting found in the Catacomb of Callixtus, that is a reminder of Jesus serving people by feeding 5,000 on one occasion [recorded in all four gospel accounts, Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; and John 6].) They musically asked God to “Let Us Be You” when they encountered these needy people, even as they must have realized that their own efforts would not be as miraculous as God’s. But, bring a bit of the kingdom here, as Jesus taught the men around Him once in a model prayer (Matthew 6:10), one that He taught them after teaching them about how to give to the needy, by the way. It’s a sobering thing, to be or represent God to others.

 

While we know not what the specific circumstances were that spurred Clarissa and Michael, nor very little about these two people, the words and music offer enough to motivate the ones who engage in the song’s message. ‘Let us be you’, the two of them thought about, in two ways: first, as a way to ‘revive the church’; and second, as his people ‘on this earth’, representing Him to others. Someone on the outside looking in might imagine, at least momentarily, that these two goals would be separate. What Clarissa and Michael propose, however, is an inextricable linkage of these two goals. The ‘hurting’, the ‘wounded’, the ‘lonely’, and even those who feel that ‘justice’ has abandoned them are all in this world that He created. What must these downtrodden be thinking – might it be even anger that occupies their thoughts, that God has ignored them? Even churches, inhabited by people who are seemingly doing fine, can begin to feel blasé about their routines; so, these two songwriters were doing perhaps a bit of self-examination here, and admitting that the church or churches in their fields of vision needed rejuvenation, even as hurting people who needed a fresh start surrounded them. ‘Stir our spirits’ (v.1)…how, exactly? ‘Help us serve’, they answer. ‘Speak your truth!’ (v.2), Clarissa and Michael say, which is accomplished by helping others – the living proof, the evidence of our Christian values and a God-centered love for all people. ‘Live in our hearts, fill this body’ is what Cox and Lusk ask God to do, rather directly with the first line of this song. A worthy goal, and one that us imperfect humans definitely need Him to actuate.       

 

‘Be You’…’? Those are two small, but intimidating words for anyone to think about, and yet Clarissa and Michael chose to vocalize them. How could I possibly be God to someone else? Maybe these two songwriters also had pause, when they considered this. How would one express this, musically? Allow some music-nerdiness for a moment, if you will. Clarissa and Michael employ an unusual technique at one point, perhaps to emphasize that being ‘on’ this earth can be a bit harsh at times. Notice the major 2^nd interval -- in the music’s E-flat to F in the treble clef -- for ‘on’ this earth, sung four times throughout the song. It sounds a little dissonant (technically known in music theory as an imperfect consonance), perhaps to emphasize that things here on earth are not quite as blessed as they will be in the kingdom (where everything is in perfect consonance). I’m only an imperfect creation, though I can behave wondrously when I allow Him to spur my actions. Being Him, that’s what I aim at, though my mimicry is incomplete, and probably something I should admit to others when I stretch out a hand, and my heart, to assist them. But, come join the rest of us imperfect creatures He made, and see if you find a few more hints of Him among His body.     

 

See musical information about the major second interval here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_second

Read more about the Major second interval here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonance_and_dissonance

 

See information on the image of the fish and loaves here: File:Eucharistic bread and fish.jpg - Wikimedia Commons . 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 70 years or fewer. {{PD-US-unpublished}} – for works that were never published anywhere before 2003 and whose author died before 1954 or, if the author's year of death is unknown or inapplicable, were created before 1904.

I Will Never Be the Same -- Geoff Bullock

 

Geoff Bullock was almost certainly in transition mode, though he may not have fully appreciated what that would entail as the next several months transpired. In 1995, he wrote “I Will Never Be the Same”, a statement he undoubtedly made while thinking of his spiritual health, though he doesn’t share precisely what motivated his songwriting in this particular case. Geoff was also perhaps beginning to sense that things were about to change for himself, in more than one way, so if he was reflecting something that he was feeling on several levels, that would be understandable. He’d been the worship minister for several years, after being one of a team of people that established what would later become the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia, a church that mushroomed into a megachurch in the 1980s and ‘90s. Perhaps that atmosphere and its impact were what had Geoff feeling a bit overwhelmed by the mid-1990s, by his own admission. He’d been the guy who had arranged their annual worship conferences since 1987, so when he eventually left in late 1995, there was a lot of personal momentum that came to a halt, though he could not change what – and who -- had already affected him permanently. God had his own purposes, as Geoff later told someone, though he remained somewhat in the dark about the events of the mid-1990s.

 

“I Will Never…” was set to be recorded live at Hillsong in the latter part of 1995, as part of the album “Shout to the Lord”, when Geoff departed from the project and the church abruptly, an episode that left many wondering what had happened. Geoff admitted in an interview nearly 10 years hence that he’d become ‘burnt out’, and that he felt at the time that God was telling him to go. Looking back, he wasn’t so sure anymore, but said he just needed to work on himself for a time. Eventually, his marriage would end (in 1996) following his departure from Hillsong, and he found himself also dealing with various mental health symptoms that would later be characterized as bipolarity. Despite his health challenges, which he didn’t completely comprehend in 1995, Geoff continued to write songs and lead the worship conference, even as a widening gap between how he felt about his ability and how others looked upon him began to develop. From his own comments, one cannot really identify all of the details of Geoff’s insides, though his lyrics do indicate he was an inward-looking songwriter, trying to be responsive to what his Creator was telling him. Introspection was an essential part of what drove Geoff’s spirit. That’s what comes through clearly in ‘I Will Never…’, as Geoff writes about his being unable ‘to return’, and ‘closing the door’ (v.1), but nevertheless trying to answer what he felt God was prompting him to do. ‘I’ll walk the path, I’ll run the race’ (v.1), he said; and then, he sounds like he’s really relishing the life God has for him, even if events ‘fall like fire’, ‘soak like rain’, and ‘rush like mighty waters’, to turn things upside down or inside out – to ‘sweep away…darkness’, burn away…chaff’, in order to ‘glorify (God’s) name’ (v.2). Geoff stood ready to climb ‘higher heights’, and navigate ‘deeper seas’, because he was willing to do ‘…whatever’ (v.3). Geoff didn’t mind if all this changed him irrevocably. He was going wherever and whenever God said ‘go’.

 

Geoff Bullock could not have been entirely content with what happened to himself in the mid-1990s – who could, if they had been in his shoes? But, feeling that God’s prodding you toward something – that was part of the Hillsong church’s neo-Pentecostal atmosphere and message. Experience God at a deep, personal level. Listening to Him, then, was a habit that Geoff would not change, even while his own personal struggles and relationship breakups seemed to complicate matters. Did Geoff reason that a good God doesn’t sabotage a seeker’s life, at least not with some other purpose in mind? Other historical characters must have wondered at times, too -- guys like Joseph, who landed in prison once; and Paul whose life also did a 180-degree turn and landed him in trouble more than once. Makes you wonder what God is doing, sometimes. But Geoff and the others did not stop in the valleys, and neither should we.                

 

Read about the songwriter here:  Geoff Bullock - Wikipedia

 

The song appears on this album, recorded in 1995: Shout to the Lord (album) - Wikipedia

 

Read more about the songwriter here: Geoff Bullock: No Longer the Golden Boy | ChristianToday Australia

 

See information on the flag of Australia here: File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg - Wikimedia Commons.  This image is protected by Crown Copyright because it is owned by the Australian Government or that of the states or territories, and is in the public domain because it was created or published prior to 1974 and the copyright has therefore expired. The government of Australia has declared that the expiration of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide.

I Will Rise -- Louis Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Matt Maher, Jesse Reeves

 

He was thinking musically of a moment unlike any other that will fully define and culminate all of human history. Chris Tomlin says his friend Louis Giglio gave him a mission to sing something like that. So, Chris, evidently with the help of two other friends, Matt Maher and Jesse Reeves, used Louis’s charge and a one-liner that he said he couldn’t shake, to say “I Will Rise” in 2008. So many masterpiece artists have taken on this same mission with the paintbrush, which Chris and his friends alternately articulated in their music. See the Noel Coypel work of art here (painted in 1700), which only attempts to show, but cannot possibly depict with full appreciation, the stunning moment when Jesus arose from death, terrifying those nearby with how He overcame the grave. What a moment! Maybe if you and I combine looking at something like this painting and singing the song by Chris and friends, we might come just a little closer to reality. We all need hope in that most difficult moment, when we’re staring at the grave.

 

Chris shares that he was having lunch with Louis when the toughest part of life came up in the conversation. It happens to all of us, eventually, and maybe you’ve also been in Louis’s shoes, having a heart-to-heart with a friend over a meal. He was still bereaved over his father’s recent death, and while scriptures like Psalm 46 – with the line ‘Be still and know that I am God’ – provided solace, he asked Chris to write something new, a song that would echo that old hymn ‘It Is Well (With My Soul)’ (by Horatio Spafford, see 5/31/2014 blog entry). That one line that Louis said was stuck in his brain was this: The grave is overwhelmed. Chris says his goal was to gird the spirits of people like Louis who’ve lost someone, by singing about how mortal death is not the final chapter. Death cannot be overcome any other way, except by knowing it is not the end, it’s just an interlude. No doubt, Chris and his friends had read other scriptures (in addition to Psalm 46) to salve a broken spirit. Jesus also had moments when he felt bereaved, including over his friend Lazarus and the woe that others around Him felt (Luke 11: 33-35). The poignancy got to Him…He was really human. But, unlike us, He has already experienced that death-conquering moment, and He’s the ‘firstborn’ (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5), preparing to lead the army of believers into eternity. That’s got to be worth a ‘hallelujah!’, and more than one. So, that’s what Louis and Chris thought about, that there needs to be more than Horatio Spafford’s song (and others that have been written) to remind us, to re-christen that hope that lies within. Jesus rose, and so will I. That brings a ‘peace’, an ‘anchor’, and a ‘victory’, all contained in this new ‘hallelujah’ song to prompt the believer that those are available even now, before this death interlude ensues.  

 

So, you’re sitting in the funeral home, just trying to get through that gloomy episode. Been there? No one likes to remember, but somehow those memories don’t fade very easily. I still remember the minister saying that death and what follows is an appointment (Acts 17:31). That passage moment won’t last forever, and then at some point I will go on to another place. It can be scary, terrifying. Even Jesus said that He felt forsaken (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34), and that must have been the lowest point for Him and those who stood watching and listening. But, this same God has Spafford, and Tomlin and friends, and so many other writers and artists depict the scene three days hence, also. Someone has summed up Revelation and the end this way: God wins. Choose a side. Don’t be stupid! Don’t get trapped dwelling on the interlude, the passageway, that appointment with death, unless you also imprint Louis’s line onto your brain waves, and into your heart. The grave is overwhelmed. And add the exclamation mark (!) also. Feel free to use more than one…like this !!!!  

 

 

Read the song story here: I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin - Songfacts

 

Read some more about the song’s story here: The Meaning Behind The Song: I Will Rise by Louie Giglio - Old Time Music

 

Another source of the song story is here: Chris Tomlin talks about "I Will Rise" (youtube.com)

 

See information about the image of Christ’s Resurrection here: File:Noel-coypel-the-resurrection-of-christ-1700.jpg - Wikimedia Commons . 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.  {{PD-US}} – US work that is in the public domain in the US for an unspecified reason, but presumably because it was published in the US before 1929.