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 2nd 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.
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