Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of contempt.
-Psalm 123:3

But he said to them, “The kings of the gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.  But not so with you; rather, the greatest among you must become like the youngest and the leader like one who serves.
-Luke 22:25-26

In response to the above picture, I have two words for you.

No, they aren’t cuss words, but these two words do pack a punch. They look almost identical—and yet, they mean the exact opposite.

“Kyrie”, and “Kyriarchy”.

The word Kyrie means “Lord”. In both the Old and New Testaments, it is often paired with the word “eleison”. The phrase means “Lord, have mercy.”

People say “Kyrie eleison” when they are crying out to God or Christ for help in desperate times.

On the other hand, the word Kyriarchy does not appear in the Bible. It was a word coined by author Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza.

Kyriarchy also comes from ‘Kyrie,’ but instead of crying for mercy, it describes a world where some ‘lords’ dominate over others—a system where power hoards itself at the top.

Sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia–Kyriarchy includes all of those and more. Kyriarchy isn’t just an abstract system or some distant overlord’s doing—it’s a web, and like it or not, we’re all caught in it.

So which of these do you think is stronger? Kyrie or Kyriarchy? Mercy or Oppression?

Every morning, I check the news and think, ‘What fresh disaster awaits us today?’ Hatred, injustice, chaos—the cords of Kyriarchy keep tightening. Is there no end to this madness?”

Yes, there is. Kyriarchy IS escapable. Maybe not this week, or in four years, or four hundred years, but with God’s help, we shall overcome it.

It’s not Kyriarchy that gets the last laugh. If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you’ll get one message above all others: God’s love and mercy wins.

Mercy comes to us all, whether we’re able to see it or not. That’s true in the oval office or in your office. The more we learn to perceive it, the more Kyriarchy’s web untangles. So keep working that faith–the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

Does our president really know that Christ is standing there, behind him? I don’t know.

But if Jesus can have the president’s back…

surely, he has yours.

Have a great week,

Mitch