Why this song?
There are few artists today that are able to accomplish what Rend Collective does. They write songs that are musically interesting, catchy, easy to sing along to (congregational), yet still lyrically deep. Each of these, in and of itself, is difficult to accomplish, yet they pull off all of them on a regular basis. This song is an excellent example.
Song Breakdown
With a title like “Build Your Kingdom Here” it would be easy to, like Jesus’ disciples, have a misunderstanding of what the kingdom of God is and view this as some sort of patriotic anthem. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The author has a proper understanding that the kingdom of God is in the hearts of believers and that building that kingdom means bringing more people to faith and strengthening the faith of those who believe.
But it doesn’t end there. This isn’t just a prayer for a stronger faith and the conversion of souls. This is a call to actions. As the church, God uses us to seek out the lost. He uses us to comfort the hurting. He uses us to reflect his love.
Use in Worship
I must admit, I’ve never actually seen the melody to this song written out. The reason for this is two-fold: 1. The song is easy enough to learn by rote that I haven’t needed to see the music and 2. I’m fairly certain trying to sight-read the music would be even more difficult than just learning it by ear.
We recommend just giving people the words to this song and using strong vocalists to introduce the melody. As always, repetition will help the process go smoother. Perhaps have your vocalists go through a verse and a chorus and then have the congregation join in when you are first introducing it.
Resources