Suggested Prayers and Benedictions:
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
(1 Thess. 5:23)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in you, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen
(Eph. 3:20-21)
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance Upon you
And give you peace.
(Num. 6:24-26)
Now may the God of hope full you with all joy and peace in believing,
That you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Rom. 15:13)
O God, from whom all blessings flow, we come in great need of Your blessing. You and You alone know our broken hearts; You know the grief we experience. Out of our emptiness we come to You. Our reservoir of strength has been depleted; our souls are bare; our feelings are numb. Lord, we need You.
Father God, we come today as people whose lives have been abruptly changed by the death of one whom we deeply love. This change has brought confusion, anger, loneliness, fear, and doubt. In the midst of these varied emotions, we long for peace and for endurance. We want to feel Your presence. Lord may the memories of precious moments shared sustain us in this time of grief. May those times of laughter and crying, joy and sorrow, energy and fatigue, conflict and peace which mark our history with this beloved individual be the foundation of hope which sends us into tomorrow.
Our Heavenly Father, at a time when we are acutely aware of the death of a loved one, we thank You for Your living presence with us. Your unfailing companionship with us gives us comfort for today and courage for tomorrow.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise,
Be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen.
(1 Tim. 1:17)
O God, without hope we could not exist. Life would be unbearable. But because of Jesus, we have a hope that takes us not only through this present crisis but also through all of life. Thank You for the hope that is ours in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son. In whose name we approach You.
Amen.
Gracious God, help us to see all of life's experiences as within Your control. There is rhythm to the natural order. Most of all, we are thankful that the routine and order does not rule out Your workings in our lives. Within Your order we have received; Bless the inheritance left behind by this dear soul but most of all the inheritance of One in whose name we gather.
Amen.
Lord, we realize that life is a race. As You observe and judge, give us strength to run in faith, for those that have run before us we offer our gratitude. Bless their memory as we follow their example toward the time.
Amen.
Give us grace to trust in Your wisdom which is above and beyond all mysteries. Teach us to rely upon You in moments of peace and when the unexplainable storms blow.
Amen.
FOR SERVICES AT THE GRAVESIDE
For as much as it has pleased Almighty God to take unto himself the soul Of our friend,we offer the body to this place prepared for it, that ashes may return to ashes, dust to dust, and the imperishable spirit may forever be with the Lord.
- We gather here to claim memories which are forever sacred as they are a gift of God. We are supported by a faith stronger than death, sustained by the hope of a life that extends eternally beyond this place. Within that confidence, we gather here to commit all that is mortal of our friend to this resting place not made with hands by God Eternal.
- It is not by choice that we gather in this city of the dead, hallowed by sacred memory of its inhabitants. The monuments are only symbols of the affection of surviving friends. The absence of the souls of these inhabitants is but a monument to a loving and life-giving God. As we offer the body of our deceased we are reminded that there is life immortal that shall indeed survive the grave. We now commit this one to the arms of a God who gives life that never ends.
- Forasmuch as it has pleased Almighty God to take unto himself the soul of ______, we offer the body to this place prepared for it, that ashes may return to ashes, dust to dust and the imperishable spirit may forever be with the Lord
- We gather here to claim memories which are forever sacred as they are a gift of God. We are supported by a faith stronger than death, sustained by the hope of a life that extends eternally beyond this place. Within that confidence, we gather here to commit all that is mortal of my mother to her resting place knowing that she is in a resting place not made by God, but by God Eternal the heaven which is now her home.
- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
( Josh. 1:9 ) - The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
( Ps. 145:14-16, 18 ) - Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
( Matt. 11:28-30 ) - Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha said to Him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
The Lords Prayer
I would suggest the saying the Lord's Prayer, which supremely fits all occasions:
The Lord is my Shepherd:
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the
presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
( Ps 23 )
Readings
Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear
The burden of tomorrow?
Sufficient for today, its care,
Its evil and its sorrow;
God impartest by the way
Strength sufficient for the day
-- Jane E. Saxby
To heaven I lift my waiting eyes;
There all my hopes are laid;
The Lord that build the earth and skies
Is my perpetual aid
--Isaac Watts
God, grant us the strength and courage
to embrace our Faith so that we may see that all of life is in Your hands.
Amen.
Lord, we entrust all our hours to You.
In our waking moments and in our sleep, we rest in You.
We also entrust our loved ones to You in these moments of ultimate sleep.
Amen.
Our Father, we need a source of strength and refuge. We need a resting place. For being this kind of help in time of trouble, we offer our thanks. Bless the memory of this dear
woman, my mother, and grant us all the peace that comes from trusting in You.
Amen.
Oh God, I thank You for the light of Your Son and the way that light has shone through the love of mothers.
Amen.
God, give us the grace to consider the way our lives are being measured. May the life of my mother remind us never to ignore the quality of life at the expense of quantity.
We ask our prayer in the name of our Perfect Example.
Amen.
Our Father, for the promise of eternal life we offer our praise and gratitude. How difficult our lives would be today if we had no hope. But we do have a hope. We are called forth from this moment by the life of our Lord, in whose name we pray.
Amen.
Hear our prayer, O God, as we lay before You the concerns of our heart. Our hearts feel pain in these moments. Hear our cries, especially those that are deep and silent. You know the sorrow that has befallen us and You are aware of the grief within us. We come to You for healing and strength.
Amen.
Readings: Even though one short step separates us from this thing called death, when it actually occurs, we discover that death is not what we thought. Death is not the destructive force we feared it to be. Instead, we will discover death to have been conquered already by our Lord who experienced it for Himself, and then came back to tell us that we should not fear death because He had made preparations for us. "Let not your heart be troubled."
(John 14:1)
"But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."
(1 Thess. 4:13-15 KJV)
REMEMBER that there is no one way to perform a funeral service. The important aspects are reverence for the moment, continuing the cultural tradition of how we lay to rest our deceased, the call upon God for comfort and peace in this time of sorrow and grief, the reverence of God's promise of eternal life to those who believe.
The funeral ceremony is for the bereaved more than the deceased. The minister is the professional person entrusted by God to carry forth the rites of the departed into the arms of a loving God.
If you looking for a more comprehensive guide to funeral services the ULC catalog offers Bakers Funeral Handbook.
