Common Hymnal (Feat. Joncarlos Velez, Dee Wilson & Jamie MacDonald) – The Kingdom Is Yours

It’s hard to pin down precisely what Common Hymnal is.  They aren’t a church-based band.  They aren’t a community of believers uniting for a single cause.  They would describe themselves as “curators”, custodians of misfits outside the usual networks of Christian music.  Much like a museum, they display these works of art for the public to see.  The medium is different, but the concept is the same.

They released three albums, including:

• Unproduced (2019)
• Common Hymnal (2020)
• Praise and Protect (2021)

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

It is a rewording of Jesus’ Beatitudes, as part of His sermon on the mount.  It also implores us to remain faithful and affixed on Jesus.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

The entire song is Biblical.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

Blessed are the ones who do not bury
All the broken pieces of their heart
Blessed are the tears of all the weary
Pouring like a sky of falling stars

These are examples of the poor in spirit, described by Jesus in Matthew 5:3.  These are people who know they are broken, humbly admitting their desperate need for God.

[Verse 2]

Blessed are the wounded ones in mourning
Brave enough to show the Lord their scars
Blessed are the hurts that are not hidden
Open to the healing touch of God

According to Matthew 5:4, those who mourn will receive comfort.  This occurs when we run to Jesus and give Him our problems (Matthew 11:28-30).

[Chorus]

The Kingdom is yours, the Kingdom is yours

Those who recognize their spiritual poverty and trust in Jesus for salvation will inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3, Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:7, Titus 3:7, Hebrews 6:17, and James 2:5).

Hold on a little more, this is not the end
Hope is in the Lord, keep your eyes on Him

These are comforting words that compel us to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).

[Verse 3]

And blessed are the ones who walk in kindness
Even in the face of great abuse

Jesus says that the gentle are blessed and will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). The persecuted will inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:10).

Blessed are the deeds that go unnoticed
Serving with unguarded gratitude

Christians whose good deeds are done in secret will be rewarded by God (Matthew 6:1-4).

[Verse 4]

And blessed are the ones who fight for justice
Longing for the coming day of peace
Blessed is the soul that thirsts for righteousness
Welcoming the last, the lost, the least

This combines thirsting for righteousness and peacemaker, found in Matthew 5:6 and Matthew 5:9.  By welcoming the least of these, they show that they welcome God (Matthew 25:40 and Luke 9:48).

[Interlude]

Oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh

Many references to Casper the friendly ghost.

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

Quotes from Matthew 5:3.

Oh-oh

Repeats line 1.

Bienaventurados los pobres en Espíritu

According to Google Translate, this is the Spanish equivalent of line 4.

Oh-oh

Repeats line 1.

Blessed are the pure in heart

Quotes from Matthew 5:8.

Oh-oh

Repeats line 1.

[Verse 5]

Blessed are the ones who suffer violence
And still have strength to love their enemies
Blessed is the faith of those who persevere
Though they fall, they’ll never know defeat

Those lambasted, ridiculed, and assaulted because of Jesus in us, yet, choose to remain obedient to Christ, will be blessed (Matthew 5:10-12).  In Christ, we have victory (Romans 8:37).

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Aside from the Kingdom, everything else is common language to the ears of unbelievers.  Chorus informs them that “Hope is in the Lord”, pointing to religion, if not a Christian worldview.

The majority of the song speaks of blessings to different groups and why they are blessed.  They might be tempted to conclude that God blesses them in their unbelief because they are honest, mourn loss, are kind, are social justice warriors, and are persecuted for it, Chorus makes this view difficult to hold  Chorus instructs them to trust in the Lord.

I doubt that they will understand what Kingdom Common Hymnal refers without further study.

Score: 7/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies Jesus by faithfully preserving part of His sermon to the present generation.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Common Hymnal’s The Kingdom Is Yours is a great song.  It correctly adapts Jesus’ ancient words to our present generation, opting to use language that helps us comprehend Christ’s sermon, bringing glory to God.  While unbelievers will see that it’s religious, with blessings offered to various individuals who trust in God, comprehending the Kingdom of God requires further study.

This song is inspirational, but not appropriate for corporate worship.  This song is more about us and less about God.

Final Score: 9/10

Artist Info

Track: The Kingdom Is Yours (Live) (listen to the song)

Artist: Common Hymnal (Feat. Joncarlos Velez, Dee Wilson & Jamie MacDonald)

Album: Common Hymnal (Live)

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2020

Duration: 5:56

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*Copyright © 2019 Common Hymnal Publishing (ASCAP) Common Hymnal Digital (BMI) 10000 Fathers (ASCAP) The Wilson Songbook Publishing (BMI) BSpencer Publishing (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.