Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Matthew 8:1-3, 5-7 ... A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. ... When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
KYRIE ELEISON
Most Sundays Lutheran congregations sing some version of the KYRIE: "Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us."
What do you think about -- that is, what is your prayer -- when you sing those words?
Since they (usually) follow the Confession and Absolution they are plainly not intended to be a prayer for the forgiveness of sins. A number of the historic Gospel readings during the Epiphany season can help us with our prayers at this point in the Sunday service.
These ancient Scripture selections were chosen to emphasize the divine power which belongs to Jesus as the eternal Son of God come into human flesh. In Matthew 8 we hear a desperate leper as he begs for the Lord's mercy -- even as he leaves the whole issue of his healing up to Jesus. And some time later, Matthew reports how a respected Roman officer, assigned to the garrison at Capernaum, pleads with Jesus for mercy on behalf of his seriously ill servant.
Few of us are free of bodily ills -- even if they are not as serious as leprosy. All of us know seriously ill people for whom we need to go to Jesus to plead for His mercy.
Perhaps this is part of the reason the KYRIE is repeated three times -- and not sung very fast either. This gives us the time to remember the power and mercy of our Lord in those New Testament accounts. It also gives us opportunity to come to Jesus with our bodily needs, and to bring with us others who are in great physical need.
Not many of us follow the practice of making the sign of the cross (Luther recommends it) when we pray. But perhaps we might adopt it for a while this Epiphany season. It is, after all, a visual reminder of why we can be sure Jesus has a heart of mercy where our bodily needs are concerned. He willingly offered His body in order to pay for our sin-guilt and heal our sin-stricken souls.
