Church of England
The Sentences -
‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ says the Lord. ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ John 11.25, 26.
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8. 38,39
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. So we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4. 14, 17 and 18.
We brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord. 1 Timothy 6. 7, Job 1. 21.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness. Lamentations 3. 22, 23.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt 5. 4.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3. 16.
Introduction (The minister says)
We meet in the name of Jesus Christ,
who died and was raised to the glory of God the Father.
Grace and mercy be with you.
We have come here today
to remember before God our brother/sister N;
to give thanks for his/her life;
to commend him/her to God our merciful redeemer and judge;
to commit his/her body to be buried/cremated,
and to comfort one another in our grief.
The minister may say one of these prayers
God of all consolation,
your Son Jesus Christ was moved to tears
at the grave of Lazarus his friend.
Look with compassion on your children in their loss;
give to troubled hearts the light of hope
and strengthen in us the gift of faith,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
(or)
Almighty God,
you judge us with infinite mercy and justice
and love everything you have made.
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.
All Amen.
Hymn
As the Morning sun rises in the east, so a new day begins, from day to day, week to week, months and years shall mark the passage of our lives, but from age to age the eternal compassion and steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.
The minister may say
May God our Father forgive us our sins and bring us to the eternal joy of his kingdom,
where dust and ashes have no dominion.
All Amen.
The Collect
Merciful Father,
hear our prayers and comfort us;
renew our trust in your Son,
whom you raised from the dead;
strengthen our faith
that all who have died in the love of Christ
will share in his resurrection;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All Amen.
Tributes and Sermon.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.
3 He shall refresh my soul and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23
Prayers
God of mercy, Lord of life,
you have made us in your image
to reflect your truth and light:
we give you thanks for N,
for the grace and mercy he/she received from you,
for all that was good in his/her life,
for the memories we treasure today.
[Especially we thank you] Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
You promised eternal life to those who believe.
Remember for good this your servant N
as we also remember him/her.
Bring all who rest in Christ into the fullness of your kingdom where sins have been forgiven
and death is no more.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
Your mighty power brings joy out of grief and life out of death.
Look in mercy on [… and] all who mourn.
Give them patient faith in times of darkness.
Strengthen them with the knowledge of your love.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
You are tender towards your children and your mercy is over all your works.
Heal the memories of hurt and failure.
Give us the wisdom and grace to use aright the time that is left to us here on earth,
to turn to Christ and follow in his steps in the way that leads to everlasting life.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
All God of mercy,
entrusting into your hands all that you have made
and rejoicing in our communion with all your faithful people,
we make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
All 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.
A hymn may be sung.
Commendation -
Let us commend N to the mercy of God,
our maker and redeemer.
God our creator and redeemer,
by your power Christ conquered death
and entered into glory.
Confident of his victory
and claiming his promises,
we entrust N to your mercy
in the name of Jesus our Lord,
who died and is alive
and reigns with you,
now and for ever.
All Amen.
Committal
If the Committal does not follow as part of the same
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great goodness.
As a father is tender towards his children,
so is the Lord tender to those that fear him.
For he knows of what we are made;
he remembers that we are but dust.
Our days are like the grass;
we flourish like a flower of the field;
when the wind goes over it, it is gone
and its place will know it no more.
But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever toward those that fear him
and his righteousness upon their children’s children.
(or)
We have but a short time to live.
Like a flower we blossom and then wither;
like a shadow we flee and never stay.
In the midst of life we are in death;
to whom can we turn for help,
but to you, Lord,
We have entrusted our brother/sister N to God’s mercy,
and now, in preparation for burial,
we give his/her body to be cremated.
We look for the fullness of the resurrection
when Christ shall gather all his saints
to reign with him in glory for ever.
All Amen
Hymn -
Dismissal
1 Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: your word has been fulfilled.
2 My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3 A light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2. 29 - 32.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
All God be in my head,
and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
and in my thinking;
God be at my end,
and at my departing.
Amen.
Support us, O Lord,
all the day long of this troublous life,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
Ending
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church,
living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection
and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.
All Amen.
May God give you
his comfort and his peace,
his light and his joy,
in this world and the next;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
All Amen.
God will show us the path of life;
in his presence is the fullness of joy:
and at his right hand
there is pleasure for evermore. Psalm 16. 11
Unto him that is able to keep us from falling,
and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever.
All Amen.
‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ says the Lord. ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ John 11.25, 26.
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8. 38,39
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. So we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4. 14, 17 and 18.
We brought nothing into the world, and we take nothing out.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord. 1 Timothy 6. 7, Job 1. 21.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness. Lamentations 3. 22, 23.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matt 5. 4.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3. 16.
Introduction (The minister says)
We meet in the name of Jesus Christ,
who died and was raised to the glory of God the Father.
Grace and mercy be with you.
We have come here today
to remember before God our brother/sister N;
to give thanks for his/her life;
to commend him/her to God our merciful redeemer and judge;
to commit his/her body to be buried/cremated,
and to comfort one another in our grief.
The minister may say one of these prayers
God of all consolation,
your Son Jesus Christ was moved to tears
at the grave of Lazarus his friend.
Look with compassion on your children in their loss;
give to troubled hearts the light of hope
and strengthen in us the gift of faith,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
(or)
Almighty God,
you judge us with infinite mercy and justice
and love everything you have made.
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.
All Amen.
Hymn
As the Morning sun rises in the east, so a new day begins, from day to day, week to week, months and years shall mark the passage of our lives, but from age to age the eternal compassion and steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.
The minister may say
May God our Father forgive us our sins and bring us to the eternal joy of his kingdom,
where dust and ashes have no dominion.
All Amen.
The Collect
Merciful Father,
hear our prayers and comfort us;
renew our trust in your Son,
whom you raised from the dead;
strengthen our faith
that all who have died in the love of Christ
will share in his resurrection;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All Amen.
Tributes and Sermon.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.
3 He shall refresh my soul and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 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.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23
Prayers
God of mercy, Lord of life,
you have made us in your image
to reflect your truth and light:
we give you thanks for N,
for the grace and mercy he/she received from you,
for all that was good in his/her life,
for the memories we treasure today.
[Especially we thank you] Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
You promised eternal life to those who believe.
Remember for good this your servant N
as we also remember him/her.
Bring all who rest in Christ into the fullness of your kingdom where sins have been forgiven
and death is no more.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
Your mighty power brings joy out of grief and life out of death.
Look in mercy on [… and] all who mourn.
Give them patient faith in times of darkness.
Strengthen them with the knowledge of your love.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
You are tender towards your children and your mercy is over all your works.
Heal the memories of hurt and failure.
Give us the wisdom and grace to use aright the time that is left to us here on earth,
to turn to Christ and follow in his steps in the way that leads to everlasting life.
Silence
[Lord, in your mercy
All hear our prayer.]
All God of mercy,
entrusting into your hands all that you have made
and rejoicing in our communion with all your faithful people,
we make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
All 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.
A hymn may be sung.
Commendation -
Let us commend N to the mercy of God,
our maker and redeemer.
God our creator and redeemer,
by your power Christ conquered death
and entered into glory.
Confident of his victory
and claiming his promises,
we entrust N to your mercy
in the name of Jesus our Lord,
who died and is alive
and reigns with you,
now and for ever.
All Amen.
Committal
If the Committal does not follow as part of the same
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great goodness.
As a father is tender towards his children,
so is the Lord tender to those that fear him.
For he knows of what we are made;
he remembers that we are but dust.
Our days are like the grass;
we flourish like a flower of the field;
when the wind goes over it, it is gone
and its place will know it no more.
But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever toward those that fear him
and his righteousness upon their children’s children.
(or)
We have but a short time to live.
Like a flower we blossom and then wither;
like a shadow we flee and never stay.
In the midst of life we are in death;
to whom can we turn for help,
but to you, Lord,
We have entrusted our brother/sister N to God’s mercy,
and now, in preparation for burial,
we give his/her body to be cremated.
We look for the fullness of the resurrection
when Christ shall gather all his saints
to reign with him in glory for ever.
All Amen
Hymn -
Dismissal
1 Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: your word has been fulfilled.
2 My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3 A light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2. 29 - 32.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
All God be in my head,
and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
and in my thinking;
God be at my end,
and at my departing.
Amen.
Support us, O Lord,
all the day long of this troublous life,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
Ending
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church,
living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection
and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.
All Amen.
May God give you
his comfort and his peace,
his light and his joy,
in this world and the next;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
All Amen.
God will show us the path of life;
in his presence is the fullness of joy:
and at his right hand
there is pleasure for evermore. Psalm 16. 11
Unto him that is able to keep us from falling,
and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever.
All Amen.