The kingdom of God is justice and joy
The kingdom of God/ is justice and joy. Bryn Austin Rees* (1911-1983).
First published in Praise for Today (1974), and subsequently in HP and RS, usually with the tune written for it, TETHERDOWN, by Gerald Barnes (1935- ). The tune name refers to Tetherdown Congregational (now United Reformed) Church, Muswell Hill, London, where Rees was minister from 1950 to 1962 and Barnes was organist for a year, 1955-56. Alterations have been made to the original text in HFTC and RS, both of which remove the striking ‘lepers’ from stanza 2, replacing it with ‘the prisoners are freed’:
The kingdom of God Is mercy and grace,The lepers are cleansed, The sinners find place,The outcasts are welcomed God’s...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "The kingdom of God is justice and joy."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 15 Feb. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-kingdom-of-god-is-justice-and-joy>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "The kingdom of God is justice and joy."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 15, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-kingdom-of-god-is-justice-and-joy.