Empty, broken, here I stand, Kyrie eleison (StF 421)
- Source:
- Singing the Faith: 421 (CD17 #23)
- Verses:
- 5
- STF Number:
- 421
Correction to music: 2nd page, final stave - add "D.C." above repeat marks
Ideas for use
There are occasions on which a sung hymn can stand alone as a prayer. Nick and Anita Haigh’s hymn of confession needn't be followed by a spoken prayer of confession – its simple phrases and the repeated Kyrie eleison ("Lord have mercy") stand on their own.
The lines of the verse may be alternated in different ways, for example between a cantor and the congregation:
Cantor: When my faith has all but gone,
All: Kyrie eleison,
Cantor: give me strength to carry on,
All: Kyrie eleision.
etc.
Hymns with a repeated phrase, such as this one, can also work very well with children and younger people. The echo can be shared out in different ways e.g. leader and congregation (as above); adults and children; male and female etc. (See Let the children sing.)
Don't feel you have to use every verse. Select verses as appropriate.