| After the Funeral | |||
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¶
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At Home after the Funeral | ||
| Note | |||
| This service may be adapted for use either immediately after the funeral or later. It may be led by a friend or family member or by a minister. | |||
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At the Door
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| The minister may say | |||
| In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. | |||
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All
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Amen. | ||
| The peace of God our heavenly
Father, of Jesus Christ the source of peace, and of the Holy Spirit the comforter come upon this house and all who live here. Open, O God, the door of this house; let your light shine here to drive away all darkness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
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The Word of God
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| One or more of the following readings may be used | |||
| Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. | |||
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John 14.1-3
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| Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. | |||
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Matthew 11.28-30
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| We are citizens of heaven, and from heaven we expect our deliverer to come, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform our humble bodies, and give them a form like that of his own glorious body, by that power which enables him to make all things subject to himself. This, my dear friends, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, this is what it means to stand firm in the Lord | |||
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Philippians 3.20 - 4.1
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| In you, O Lord, do I seek
refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; incline your ear to me and save me. Be for me a stronghold to which I may ever resort; send out to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the evildoer and the oppressor. For you are my hope, O Lord God, my confidence, even from my youth. Upon you have I leaned from my birth, when you drew me from my mother's womb; my praise shall be always of you. O God, you have taught me since I was young, and to this day I tell of your wonderful works. Forsake me not, O God, when I am old and grey-headed, till I make known your deeds to the next generation and your power to all that are to come. |
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Psalm 71.1-6,17,18
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| Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, will come back with shouts of joy, bearing their sheaves with them. |
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Psalm 126.5,6
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| Where can I go then from your
spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there your hand shall lead me, your right hand hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will cover me and the light around me turn to night,' Even darkness is no darkness with you; the night is as clear as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike. |
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Psalm 139.7-11
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Prayers
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| A suitable prayer or prayers from here may be used, or informal prayer for the family may be more appropriate. This prayer may be especially appropriate if there is food after the Funeral | |||
| Almighty God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, whose disciples recognized him as he broke bread at their table after the resurrection: we thank you for your strength upholding us in what we have done today, and now we ask for your presence to be recognized in this home; bring your peace and joy to each place which stirs the memory; give your strength and presence in those daily tasks which used to be shared, and in all the changes of life give us grace to do your will day by day, and to look for the glorious coming of Christ, when you will gather us together to your table in heaven to be with you for ever and ever. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
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Conclusion
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| The minister may say some or all of Psalm 121 | |||
| I lift up my eyes to the
hills; from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep. Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night. The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul. The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
| The Burial of Ashes | |||
| Note | |||
| If the service begins in church or chapel, it may be appropriate to invite the mourners to the place of burial at the end of the readings, and to use the psalms at the place of burial. | |||
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Preparation
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| The minister greets the people in these or other suitable words | |||
| Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Though we are dust and ashes, God has prepared for those who love him a heavenly dwelling place. At his/her funeral we commended N into the hands of almighty God. As we prepare to commit the remains of N to the earth, we entrust ourselves and all who love God to his loving care. |
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| Appropriate sentences of Scripture may be used. | |||
| The eternal God is our
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. |
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cf Deuteronomy 33. 27 AV
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| Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. |
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1 Peter 1.3,4
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| Lord, you have been our
refuge from one generation to another. Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were formed, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn us back to dust and say: 'Turn back, O children of earth. 'For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, which passes like a watch in the night. |
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Psalm 90.1-4
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Readings
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| One or more readings follows. The psalms may be used at the place of burial (see Note). | |||
| 'O that my words were written
down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock for ever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!' |
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Job 19.23-27
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4
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The Lord himself is my portion
and my cup; • in your hands alone is my fortune. |
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5
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My share has fallen in a fair
land; • indeed, I have a goodly heritage. |
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6
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I will bless the Lord who has
given me counsel, • and in the night watches he instructs my heart. |
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7
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I have set the Lord always
before me; • he is at my right hand; I shall not fall. |
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8
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Wherefore my heart is glad and
my spirit rejoices; • my flesh also shall rest secure. |
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9
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or you will not abandon my soul
to Death, • nor suffer your faithful one to see the Pit. |
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10
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You will show me the path of
life; in your presence is the fullness of joy • and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. |
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Psalm 16.4-10
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1
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O Lord, you have searched
me out and known me; • you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. |
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2
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You mark out my journeys and my
resting place • and are acquainted with all my ways. |
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3
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For there is not a word on my
tongue, • but you, O Lord, know it altogether. |
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4
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You encompass me behind and
before • and lay your hand upon me. |
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5
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Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me, • so high that I cannot attain it. |
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6
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Where can I go then from your
spirit? • Or where can I flee from your presence? |
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7
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If I climb up to heaven, you are
there; • if I make the grave my bed, you are there also. |
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8
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If I take the wings of the
morning • and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, |
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9
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Even there your hand shall lead
me, • your right hand hold me fast. |
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10
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If I say, 'Surely the darkness
will cover me • and the light around me turn to night,' |
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11
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Even darkness is no darkness
with you; the night is as clear as the day; • darkness and light to you are both alike. |
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13
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I thank you, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made; • marvellous are your works, my soul knows well. |
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Psalm 139.1-11,13
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| Someone will ask, 'How are the
dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?' Fool!
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as
for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be,
but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind
of seed its own body. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. |
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1 Corinthians 15.35-38, 42-44a
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| After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. | |||
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John 19.38-end
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| I saw no temple in the city, for
its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And
the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the
glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The
nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth
will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be
shut by day - and there will be no night there. People will
bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But
nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises
abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in
the Lamb's book of life. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever. |
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Revelation 21.22-end, 22.3b-5
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The Committal
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| The minister says | |||
| either | |||
| We have entrusted our
brother/sister N to God's mercy, and we now commit his/her mortal remains to the ground: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, who died, was buried, and rose again for us. To him be glory for ever. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
| (or) | |||
| God our Father, in loving care your hand has created us, and as the potter fashions the clay you have formed us in your image. Through the Holy Spirit you have breathed into us the gift of life. In the sharing of love you have enriched our knowledge of you and of one another. We claim your love today, as we return these ashes to the ground in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. |
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| The congregation may join with the minister in saying | |||
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All
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Thanks be to God who
gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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Prayers
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The Lord's Prayer
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| As our Saviour taught us, so we pray | |||
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All
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Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. |
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| (or) | |||
| Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us | |||
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All
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Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. |
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| Heavenly Father, we thank you for all those whom we love but see no longer. As we remember N in this place, hold before us our beginning and our ending, the dust from which we come and the death to which we move, with a firm hope in your eternal love and purposes for us, in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
| Other prayers may be used, ending with | |||
| God of hope, grant that we, with all who have believed in you, may be united in the full knowledge of your love and the unclouded vision of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
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All
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Amen. | ||
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The Dismissal
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| May the infinite and glorious
Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, direct our life in good works, and after our journey through this world grant us eternal rest with all the saints. |
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| All | Amen. | ||