It’s Lent and We Sing Kyrie Eleison

Greetings,

      As we move into Lent 1, I especially find meaning in the daily use of the Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy ).  There are three tunes for the ancient Greek text which was one of the earliest hymns of the Church. 

                        Kyrie eleison.                                            Lord, have mercy.

                        Christe eleison.                                        Christ, have mercy.

                        Kyrie eleison.                                            Lord, have mercy.

      I also recall this other form of the ancient Kyrie:

     

                        Kyrie, O God the Holy Ghost,

                        Guard our faith, the gift we need the most,

                        And bless our life’s last hour,

                        That we leave this sinful world with gladness.

                                    Eleison, eleison!

                                                                                                                                                                        (Latin hymn, Eleventh century)

      And with it this modern equivalent:

Lord, I keep so busy praising my Jesus,

Keep so busy praising my Jesus,

Keep so busy praising my Jesus,

Ain’t got time to die.

’Cause when I’m healing the sick

I’m praising my Jesus.

Yes, I’m praising my Jesus when I’m healing the sick.

Lord, I ain’t got time to die.

Lord, I keep so busy working for the kingdom,

Keep so busy working for the kingdom,

Keep so busy working for the kingdom,

Ain’t got time to die.

’Cause when I’m feeding the poor,

I’m working for the kingdom,

Yes, I’m working when I’m feeding the poor.

Lord, I ain’t got time to die.

’Cause it takes all of my time to praise my Jesus,

All of my time to praise my Lord.

If I don’t praise him, the rocks gonna cry out,

“Glory and honor, glory and honor!”

Ain’t got time to die.

                                                                                                (Hall Johnson)

      During this Lent a number of clergy in the clergy study group which I mentor are preaching on people who foreshadow Jesus Christ, who provide glimpses into the life and work of Jesus.  Or to put in more in today’s terms, the Prequels of Jesus. 

      The message for this week is about Adam, of whom Paul writes, “So the first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul, and the last Adam [Jesus] has become a life-giving spirit.”  (1 Corinthians 15:45.)

      It is about the nature of humans, the nature of sin, and the nature of God.  We humans are always a mixture of motives, just as Adam was, which led Paul to focus on Adam as the foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the second Adam.  We sin for many different reasons, and we are that great mix of good and evil, which is at war within us.  Yet, in spite of our sin, God is the truly amazing One, who is willing to forgive our sin and take just the smallest amount of faith and obedience and grow it into a mighty force which God uses in the work of transforming and redeeming the world.

Yours & His,

DED