There are a few liturgical sayings that are found in all or nearly all historic liturgies of the Church. Some are taken directly from Scripture (the Lord’s Prayer), others collect scriptural verses and ideas into summary form (the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed), and others are a theological summary or synthesis of Scripture (the Gloria Patri). One of the most simple and beloved sayings in the Church’s liturgy is the Kyrie Eleison (Greek for “Lord have mercy”).
The Kyrie Eleison is one of the more well-known liturgical sayings of the Church, even in modern evangelicalism. For example, Chris Tomlin recorded a song “Kyrie Eleison” with Matt Maher, Matt Redman, Jason Ingram, while Matt Papa and Matt Boswell use the Kyrie many times in the chorus of “Lord Have Mercy (For What We Have Done),” which our church sang every Sunday of Lent in 2026.
What It Is
The Kyrie Eleison (pronounced “KEER-ee-ay eh-LAY-ee-sawn”), often just called “the Kyrie,” is a cry to God for mercy. It is commonly found in two forms:
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Where It Comes From
The prayer “Lord, have mercy,” is one of the most common and frequent prayers in the Bible. Sometimes it is directed to God in general:
- Psalm 30:10, “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
- Psalm 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God.”
Sometimes it is directed to Jesus specifically:
- Matthew 20:30, “Lord, have mercy on us.”
- Luke 17:13, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”
Sometimes the petition for mercy is repeated several times:
- Psalm 57:1, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.”
- Psalm 123:3, “Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us.”
After Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the Church began to grasp the great revelation that God is Triune—three persons in one God—the Church’s worship became more and more explicitly Trinitarian. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each worthy of our worship and adoration, and this is reflected in the “threes” that appear everywhere in the Church’s liturgies. The Kyrie Eleison repeats “have mercy” three times for the three persons of the Trinity (“Christ, have mercy” in the middle makes this clear). It’s as if the Church is saying:
Father, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Spirit, have mercy.
The Kyrie Eleison is short and simple, but it’s packed with biblical and theological meaning. It’s a beautiful way to cry out to the Triune God for what we need most in life: his mercy.
When It’s Used
The Kyrie Eleison may be said any time. Sometimes we will be talking as a family, and I’ll say, “Lord have mercy!” (perhaps because I heard something surprising or troubling). My kids will pipe up, “Christ have mercy!” And with a smile, I’ll finish with, “Lord, have mercy.”
However, the Kyrie is most commonly used in the Church’s daily prayer and weekly Eucharist service. In the Book of Common Prayer (2019) it is used:
- At every prayer time throughout the day (Morning Prayer, Midday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline), always right before the Lord’s Prayer.
- In the Great Litany before the Lord’s Prayer.
- In the Eucharist service near the beginning, right after the Summary of the Law is read (i.e., having heard God’s law, we ask for mercy for where we have fallen short). There it is directly followed by the Trisagion (“Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us”).
- In various special rites and liturgies (e.g., at a pastoral ordination service).
Simply put, the Kyrie is frequently used when you begin your prayer time or as a cry of response to God’s law. So even if you don’t use a structured prayer liturgy, consider saying the Kyrie before you say the Lord’s Prayer each day (or several times a day).
How It’s Said/Sung
The Kyrie is often said or sung responsively. The leader says, “Lord, have mercy.” The people respond, “Christ, have mercy.” And the leader concludes, “Lord, have mercy.”
The Kyrie is also frequently sung. Our family has used two different tunes for singing the Kyrie in devotions. Sometimes it’s sung responsively as above (the people only sing “Christ, have mercy”). Sometimes the leader sings each line and the congregation repeats each line.
Sometimes it is said or sung in the original Greek:
Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison
As a Protestant, I strongly believe that the church’s worship services should be done in the common language of the people (see Article 24 of the 39 Articles of Religion). However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t ever incorporate any foreign languages into our worship. For example, at Christmas, we sing the Latin “Gloria in excelsis Deo” in the hymn Angels From the Realms of Glory. These ancient phrases add beauty to worship and put us in touch with our rich history.
Here are a few examples of English and Greek sung versions of the Kyrie:
- Greek and English, Catholic Music Initiative
- English and Greek, Dan Schutte
- Greek with English response, Misa Solemne
- Greek, Curtis Stephan
- Greek and English, Richard Cootes
- Greek, Giorgio Navarini
- Greek, Byzantine chant
- Greek and English, Eastern chant
- English chant, Richard Rice
