| Resources | |||
| Prayers for Use
with the Dying and at Funeral and Memorial Services |
|||
| These prayers follow the order of dying and mourning. They reflect the sequence found in the services, from the time of death until after the Funeral: | |||
|
¶
|
Prayers with Dying People | ||
|
¶
|
Gathering Prayers | ||
|
¶
|
Prayers of Penitence (Kyries and Absolutions) | ||
|
¶
|
Collects for Funeral and Memorial Services | ||
|
¶
|
Thanksgiving for the Life of the Departed | ||
|
¶
|
Prayers for Those who Mourn | ||
|
¶
|
Prayers for Readiness to Live in the Light of Eternity | ||
|
¶
|
Litanies and Responsive Prayers | ||
|
¶
|
Prayers of Entrusting and Commending | ||
|
¶
|
Blessings and other Endings | ||
|
¶
|
Prayers for Use after Psalms | ||
| Other suitable prayers may be found in the sections Before the Funeral and After the Funeral . Prayers suitable for a child may be found here. | |||
| Prayers with Dying People | |||
|
1
|
Soul of Christ, sanctify
me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, refresh me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds hide me. Let me never be separated from you. From the power of darkness defend me. In the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you, that with your saints I may praise you for ever and ever. Amen. |
||
|
2
|
Christ be with me, Christ within
me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. |
||
|
3
|
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank
you for all the benefits you have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have borne for us. Most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. |
||
| Amen. | |||
|
4
|
Lord, in weakness or in strength we bear your image. We pray for those we love who now live in a land of shadows, where the light of memory is dimmed, where the familiar lies unknown, where the beloved become as strangers. Hold them in your everlasting arms, and grant to those who care a strength to serve, a patience to persevere, a love to last and a peace that passes human understanding. Hold us in your everlasting arms, today and for all eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
||
| Gathering Prayers | |||
|
5
|
God our refuge and
strength, close at hand in our distress; meet us in our sorrow and lift our eyes to the peace and light of your constant care. Help us so to hear your word of grace that our fear will be dispelled by your love, our loneliness eased by your presence and our hope renewed by your promises in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
6
|
Gracious Father, in darkness and light, in trouble and in joy, help us to trust your love, to serve your purpose and to praise your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
7
|
Heavenly Father, you have not made us for darkness and death, but for life with you for ever. Without you we have nothing to hope for; with you we have nothing to fear. Speak to us now your words of eternal life. Lift us from anxiety and guilt to the light and peace of your presence, and set the glory of your love before us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| Prayers of Penitence | |||
|
Kyries
|
|||
|
8
|
Remember, Lord, your compassion
and love, for they are everlasting. Lord, have mercy. |
||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
| Remember not the sins of my
youth or my transgressions, but think on me in your goodness, O Lord, according to your steadfast love. Christ, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Christ, have mercy.] | ||
| O keep my soul and deliver
me; let me not be put to shame, for I have put my trust in you. Lord, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
|
9
|
Lord Jesus, you have shown us
the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy. |
||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
| Lord Jesus, your word is a light
to our path: Christ, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Christ, have mercy.] | ||
| Lord Jesus, you are the good
shepherd, leading us into everlasting life: Lord, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
|
10
|
Praise the Lord, O my
soul, and forget not all his benefits: Lord, have mercy. |
||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
| Who forgives all your sin and heals all your infirmities: Christ, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Christ, have mercy.] | ||
| Who saves your life from
destruction and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness: Lord, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
|
11
|
Out of the depths I cry to
you: Lord, hear my voice. Lord, have mercy. |
||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
| If you should mark what is done
amiss: who may abide it? Christ, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Christ, have mercy.] | ||
| Trust in the Lord, for with him
there is mercy: for with him is ample redemption. Lord, have mercy. |
|||
|
[All
|
Lord, have mercy.] | ||
|
Absolutions
|
|||
|
12
|
May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| The following absolution is particularly appropriate when the Funeral service is set within Holy Communion | |||
|
13
|
May God our Father forgive us
our sins and bring us to the fellowship of his table with his saints for ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
14
|
Merciful Father, hear our prayers and comfort us; renew our trust in your Son, whom you raised from the dead; strengthen our faith that [N and N] all who have died in the love of Christ will share in his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, now and for ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
15
|
Eternal God, our maker and
redeemer, grant us [with N] and all the faithful departed the sure benefits of your Son's saving passion and glorious resurrection: that, in the last day, when you gather up all things in Christ, we may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
16
|
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us all with the gift of this earthly life and has given to our brother/sister N his/her span of years and gifts of character. God our Father, we thank you now for all his/her life, for every memory of love and joy, for every good deed done by him/her and every sorrow shared with us. We thank you for his/her life and for his/her death, we thank you for the rest in Christ he/she now enjoys, we thank you for giving him/her to us, we thank you for the glory we shall share together. Hear our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
17
|
Merciful Father and Lord of all
life, we praise you that we are made in your image and reflect your truth and light. We thank you for the life of your child N , for the love he/she received from you and showed among us. Above all, we rejoice at your gracious promise to all your servants, living and departed, that we shall rise again at the coming of Christ. And we ask that in due time we may share with our brother/sister that clearer vision, when we shall see your face in the same Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
18
|
Lord of all, we praise you for all who have entered into their rest and reached the promised land where you are seen face to face. Give us grace to follow in their footsteps as they followed in the way of your Son. Thank you for the memory of those you have called to yourself: by each memory, turn our hearts from things seen to things unseen, and lead us till we come to the eternal rest you have prepared for your people, through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
19
|
Father in heaven, we praise your
name for all who have finished this life loving and trusting you, for the example of their lives, the life and grace you gave them, and the peace in which they rest. We praise you today for your servant N and for all that you did through him/her. Meet us in our sadness and fill our hearts with praise and thanksgiving, for the sake of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
20
|
Father in heaven, we thank you because you made us in your own image and gave us gifts in mind, body and spirit. We thank you now for N and what he/she meant to each of us. As we honour his/her memory, make us more aware that you are the one from whom comes every perfect gift, including the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
21
|
God our Father, we thank you that you have made each of us in your own image, and given us gifts and talents with which to serve you. We thank you for N , the years we shared with him/her, the good we saw in him/her, the love we received from him/her. Now give us strength and courage to leave him/her in your care, confident in your promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
22
|
Eternal God and Father, we praise you that you have made people to share life together and to reflect your glory in the world. We thank you now for N , for all that we saw of your goodness and love in his/her life and for all that he/she means to each one of us. As we too journey towards death may we do so in the company of Jesus, who came to share our life that we might share the life of eternity. To him be glory with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
23
|
Lord God, creator of
all, you have made us creatures of this earth but have also promised us a share in life eternal: receive our thanks and praise that, through the passion and death of Christ, your child N , our brother/sister, whom we commend into your hands today, shares with your saints in the joy of heaven, where there is neither sorrow nor pain but life everlasting. Alleluia. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
24
|
Almighty God, you love everything you have made and judge us with infinite mercy and justice. We rejoice in your promises of pardon, joy and peace to all those who love you. In your mercy turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life, and the sorrow of parting into the joy of heaven; through our Saviour Jesus Christ, who died, rose again, and lives for evermore. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
25
|
Almighty God, we come before you, the supreme judge, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect; we give you thanks for giving us an unshakeable kingdom and we worship you in reverence and awe, through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
26
|
God of mercy, as we mourn the death of N and thank you for his/her life, we also remember times when it was hard for us to understand, to forgive, and to be forgiven. Heal our memories of hurt and failure, and bring us to forgiveness and life in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
27
|
Lord Jesus Christ, you comforted your disciples when you were going to die: now set our troubled hearts at rest and banish our fears. You are the way to the Father: help us to follow you. You are the truth: bring us to know you. You are the life: give us that life, to live with you now and for ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
28
|
O God, who brought us to
birth, and in whose arms we die, in our grief and shock contain and comfort us; embrace us with your love, give us hope in our confusion and grace to let go into new life; through Jesus Christ. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
29
|
Father, you know our hearts and share our sorrows. We are hurt by our parting from N whom we loved: when we are angry at the loss we have sustained, when we long for words of comfort, yet find them hard to hear, turn our grief to truer living, our affliction to firmer hope in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
30
|
Gracious God, surround us and all who mourn this day with your continuing compassion. Do not let grief overwhelm your children, or turn them against you. When grief seems never-ending, take them one step at a time along your road of death and resurrection in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
31
|
Father, the death of N
brings an emptiness into our lives. We are separated from him/her and feel broken and disturbed. Give us confidence that he/she is safe and his/her life complete with you, and bring us together at the last to the wholeness and fullness of your presence in heaven, where your saints and angels enjoy you for ever and ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
32
|
Lord, we pray for those who
mourn, for parents and children, friends and neighbours. Be gentle with them in their grief. Show them the depths of your love, a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. Spare them the torment of guilt and despair. Be with them as they weep beside the empty tomb of our risen Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
33
|
Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, surround the family of N with your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come. We ask this through Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
34
|
Father of all mercies and God of
all consolation, you pursue us with untiring love and dispel the shadow of death with the bright dawn of life. [Give courage to this family in their loss and sorrow. Be their refuge and strength, O Lord, reassure them of your continuing love and lift them from the depths of grief into the peace and light of your presence.] Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life. Your Holy Spirit, our comforter, speaks for us in groans too deep for words. Come alongside your people, remind them of your eternal presence and give them your comfort and strength. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
35
|
Lord God, you are attentive to the voice of our pleading. Let us find in your Son comfort in our sadness, certainty in our doubt and courage to live. Make our faith strong through Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
36
|
Risen Lord Jesus, draw near to us as we walk this lonely road. Pierce our weary sorrow and gladden our heavy hearts as you go with us, and bring us in the end to your heavenly table. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
37
|
O God, you do not willingly
grieve or afflict your children. Look with pity on the suffering of this family in their loss. Sustain them in their anguish; and into the darkness of their grief bring the light of your love; through Jesus we pray. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
38
|
Almighty God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: deal graciously, we pray, with those who mourn, that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
39
|
Out of the darkness of our
grief, we cry to you, O Lord. You gave him/her to us, and you have taken him/her away. Turn to us, Lord, and have pity on us, and give us the comfort that you alone can give, through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| After a short life | |||
|
40
|
Lord our God, you give and you take away. You blessed us through the gift of N , who is now taken from us and whose loss we mourn. Help us, through our tears and pain, to glimpse your hand at work to bring blessing out of grief. To you be glory for ever. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
41
|
God of all mystery, whose ways
are beyond understanding, lead us, who grieve at this untimely death, to a new and deeper faith in your love, which brought your only Son Jesus through death into resurrection life. We make our prayer in Jesus' name. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
42
|
After a sudden death | ||
| God of hope, we come to you in shock and grief and confusion of heart. Help us to find peace in the knowledge of your loving mercy to all your children, and give us light to guide us out of our darkness into the assurance of your love, in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
|||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| After a violent death | |||
|
43
|
Merciful God, hear the cries of our grief, for you know the anguish of our hearts. It is beyond our understanding and more than we can bear. Accept our prayer that as N has been released from this world's cruelty so may he/she be received into your safe hands and secure love. We pray that justice may be done and that we may treasure the memory of his/her life more than the manner of his/her death. For Christ's sake. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
44
|
God of love, we thank you that N is in your gentle and loving hands, far from the cruelty, violence and pain of our world. When the trouble was near, we could not understand how you seemed to remain far away. And yet it is to you we turn; for in life and death it is you alone whom we can trust, and yours alone is the love that holds us fast. We find it hard to forgive the deed that has brought us so much grief. But we know that, if life is soured by bitterness, an unforgiving spirit brings no peace. Lord, save us and help us. Strengthen in us the faith and hope that N is freed from the past with all its hurt, and rests for ever in the calm security of your love, in Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| After a suicide | |||
|
45
|
Eternal God and Father, look in mercy on those who remember N before you. Let not the manner of his/her death cloud the good memories of his/her life. For N the trials of this world are over and death is past. Accept from us all that we feel even when words fail; deliver us from despair and give us strength to meet the days to come in the faith of Jesus Christ our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
46
|
God our strength and our
redeemer: you do not leave us in this life nor abandon us in death. Hear our prayer for those in despair, when days are full of darkness and the future empty of hope. Renew in them your sustaining strength for we believe that there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
47
|
After a long illness | ||
| Eternal God, our life is a fleeting shadow that does not endure. Our years pass quickly, our days are few and full of trouble. We thank you that N no longer has to suffer pain or fear, grappling with death, fighting for life; and that for him/her limitations are ended, weakness is overcome, and death itself is conquered. As he/she passes from our earthly sight, we thank you for the years of his/her presence among us. And while we feel the pain of the parting, we rejoice in the faith that he/she has gone to be with you, for in your presence is the fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Bless those who had the care of him/her, especially doctors, nurses and technicians. Guide and prosper all who are engaged in medical research: may they never lose heart in their search to discover the way of health and healing. Grant that by their vision and courage we may advance in our understanding of the world and be better able to help those in need. |
|||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
|
48
|
In sorrow, guilt and regret | ||
| Forgiving God, in the face of death we discover how many things are still undone, how much might have been done otherwise. Redeem our failure. Bind up the wounds of past mistakes. Transform our guilt to active love and by your forgiveness make us whole. We pray in Jesus' name. |
|||
|
All
|
Amen. | ||
| Prayers continue here | |||