Week 41: Kyrie Eleison

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.      Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.                            Selah

Psalm 32:1-5 (ESV)

Around this time of year, the Jews gather and observe the Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. It is a day set apart by the Lord for the people to rest, fast, pray, and repent. And even though we, not being Jews, may not have services to do this communally, we could also do the same on our own, take the time to stop all else, and sit in the presence of the Lord, confessing our sins and repenting.

The art of confession is one that has largely been disregarded in the modern church. Our worship songs and sermons are often based on all the positive sides of the gospel, such as our joy and forgiveness. All of that is true, to be sure! However, our theology of salvation is only as deep as our theology of sin. As Christ himself said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47, ESV). If we are unaware of how much we have been forgiven, it will be difficult to comprehend the depth of our forgiveness in Christ.

Let it not be so! Let us struggle with and weep over the depths of our sin. Of course, we should have confidence in the salvation that Christ promises us, so that guilt does not have the final word. However, our shame and guilt are natural outworkings of our sin. Let us purge the spiritual arrogance with which so many modern believers approach the throne of God! Instead, let us approach Him with a broken spirit and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

The humble confession of the gathered church did not end with the first Advent of Christ. In fact, one of the oldest prayers in the church is “Kyrie Eleison,” or “Lord, have mercy.” This is an echo of the various men and women of God in the Bible who knew their place before the holy Lord, and approached Him with an overwhelming sense of humility. Likewise, in many liturgies, the congregation responds to the pastor’s prayers with, “In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.”  This is not a critique on “traditional” or “contemporary” methods of worship, but merely a call for us, the family of God, to return to an attitude of humility!

And God will have mercy on those who approach Him in humility. When our spirit is most broken, and we are fully conscious of the things we have done and the things we have left undone – things that tear us apart from God, He forgives us in that moment.

Together, let us come and fall before the Lord. He will forgive us. In turn, let us love Him as much as we have been forgiven.