I've been walking through the parts of the liturgy of the Divine Service these past few months. Next up is "The Kyrie." It's a short prayer. The language is Greek, kyrie eleison, which simply means "Lord, have mercy." This short prayer is certainly no novelty in the Church. The Old Testament saints prayed such a prayer. In Psalm 51 as David confesses his sins of coveting, adultery and murder, he begins, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love" (Psalm 51:1).

The Kyrie finds frequent use in the New Testament. Countless individuals cried out to the Lord Jesus, "Have mercy!" Two blind men sat by the roadside as Jesus passed by. They cried, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David" (Mat. 20:30). Even a Canaanite woman surprisingly uses this prayer when her daughter was oppressed by a demon, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David" (Mat. 15:22). The ten lepers prayed it (Lk. 17:13). It's the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18. It's a short phrase, but rich in meaning. It's the true sinners prayer.

Even outside of the faith this little phrase was used when kings and princes would process into a town. Their subjects would line the streets where the king was processing. What would they shout? "Lord, have mercy." If it's fitting in that context, then it takes on an even richer meaning in the context of the Christian faith and the liturgy of the Divine Service. We have THE KING who comes into our midst. The First Sunday in Advent reminds us of that as we begin a new Church Year with eyes on Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus is our King. He's the kind of King who will trade His royal crown for a crown of thorns as He gives Himself, His very life, in behalf of His people. This is who the Babe of Bethlehem is for us. This is who God sent Him into human flesh to be.

In some settings of the Divine Service there is a fuller version of the Kyrie. There you can see that the Kyrie is not so much a confession of sin. That's what the confession is for. The Kyrie is a different kind of confession, a confession that the King is present for us in that very Divine Service. In His presence we pray for the peace from above, peace of the whole world and the well-being of the Church. We pray for the unity of all. We pray for those gathered for worship. We pray for our gracious Lord's help, comfort and defense. We beggars are ready to receive all that our Lord has to give, especially to receive His Word in the Scripture readings and to receive His body and blood in the Sacrament.

There is so much packed in the simple little words, "Lord, have mercy." The Divine Service is rich with meaning. The saints of old have been praying the Kyrie for centuries. It found regular use in the Divine Service as far back as the 5th century AD. As you anticipate the return of the King in this season of Advent, as you celebrate the newborn King in the season of Christmas, AND as you celebrate His coming among us in the Divine Service, rejoice! Rejoice to cry in the presence of the King of Kings, "Lord, have mercy." He is God's mercy incarnate for you. A blessed Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and New Year celebration to you all.

In Christ,

Pastor Fritsche