The Gift Of Life
Worship
On Eagles' Wings
Thematic Prayer, Meditation, And Services Of The Word For Christian Burial
(Family and friends are called to silence for the opening of the prayer service.)
Opening Invocation
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We gather today to celebrate the life of ____________ who has been given life anew through God's miraculous gift of his Son. All life is a gift from God our creator. In Nehemiah 9:6, we read,
You alone are the Lord, you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. We give God thanks and praise for the gift of eternal life for all who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ who was born to be the Savior of the world.
Responsive Reading from John 10:27--30
Reader: My sheep hear my voice.
Response: I know them, and they follow me.
Reader: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
Response: No one will snatch them out of my hand.
Reader: What my Father has given me is greater than all else,
Response: And no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray. Father Creator, you have given us life, a gift from your bountiful hand. Knowing our sinful nature, you planned for our salvation by giving us your Son, who in turn gave his life for us on the cross. We give you thanks and praise. Give comfort to those who grieve with the assurance that eternal life waits for all who believer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Old Testament Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:151--156, 165--166
Reader: Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.
Response: Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.
Reader: Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law.
Response: Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise.
Reader: Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
Response: Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your justice.
Reader: Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Response: I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfill your commandments.
New Testament Readings
Leader: The Bible guarantees salvation for those who live according to God's commands, not clinging to things of this earth, but clinging to the love of the Lord and the belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Romans 8:9--11 tells us:
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
On the night before Jesus died, he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to his Father. The prayer assures us that God's plan was complete. We read in John 17:1--8:
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me."
Responsive Reading:
Leader: God, the Father, sent his Son to die for our sins and give us an eternal home in heaven. Like bread which nourishes our bodies, Jesus tells us that he is the bread which comes from heaven to nourish our souls. In John 6:51--58, he says:
Reader: I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Response: Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
Reader: And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Response: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Reader: So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
Reader: And I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
Reader: Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
Response: So whoever eats me will live because of me.
Reader: This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
Response: But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Meditation and Prayer
Leader: Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, is our Bread from Heaven, a gift from the Father to a world of sinful men, so that we might be saved. In silence, let us reflect upon the these words:
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
(Silence) Let us pray. Father, Creator, we give you thanks for the wonders you have given us, the earth, the sky, and our own being. We belong to you, and therefore, we must remember you can call us at your will to be with you in our home in heaven. Help us to understand that we are here only a little while. We are with you in heaven for eternity. In the name of Jesus, our Gift of Life. Amen.
Reading from Matthew 16:24--27
Reader: We see that our lives are gifts. How should we live the life that the Father has given us? How does the Lord expect us to behave? In Matthew 16, we read:
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done."
Meditation
Leader: As was heard, we are to take up the cross and follow Jesus, doing the will of the Father. In Romans 2:6 we read:
For [God] will repay according to each one's deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
This message reminds us that our lives are not measured by the material things we accumulate, but by the way in which we have touched lives according to God's commandments. ________________ has touched our lives in many ways. Let us take a few silent moments to think about the special ways _____________ has affected our lives. (Silence) Now we ask if family and friends would like to share with us any special ways in which _____________ touched their lives.
A Time for Sharing (The leader will allow time for recollections.)
Comfort for the Living
Reader: Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:19--24).
Leader: You have heard Jesus' words, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life." You are assured that today ________________ and all who have died in the Lord live together in heaven. We praise you, God, for your mercy and comfort which comes to us from the Holy Spirit.
Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:35--41
Reader: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Response: Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Reader: Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.
Response: Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.
Reader: Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.
Response: See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
All: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.
Leader: Let us pray the prayer our Lord taught us:
All: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Leader: Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children" (Revelation 21:6--7).
We thank you Heavenly Father for the cooling waters which you offer us from the heavenly springs. You guide us and keep us safe through all our days, and when our time has come, you carry us to your home in heaven. Comfort us with your steadfast love and guide our footsteps until our gift is complete, the gift of life eternal. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(The service is concluded.)
Service Program For Distribution
The Gift Of Life
(The participants will read the portions of the service marked Response and All.)
Opening Invocation
Responsive Reading from John 10:27--30
Reader: My sheep hear my voice.
Response: I know them, and they follow me.
Reader: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
Response: No one will snatch them out of my hand.
Reader: What my Father has given me is greater than all else,
Response: And no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.
Prayer
Old Testament Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:151--156, 165--166
Reader: Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.
Response: Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.
Reader: Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law.
Response: Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise.
Reader: Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
Response: Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your justice.
Reader: Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Response: I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfill your commandments.
New Testament Readings
Responsive Reading from John 6:51--58
Reader: I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Response: Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
Reader: And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Response: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Reader: So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
Reader: And I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
Reader: Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
Response: So whoever eats me will live because of me.
Reader: This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
Response: But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Meditation and Prayer
Reading from Matthew 16:24--27
Meditation
A Time for Sharing
Comfort for the Living
Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:35--41
Reader: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Response: Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Reader: Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.
Response: Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.
Reader: Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.
Response: See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
All: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.
The Lord's Prayer
All: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Opening Invocation
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We gather today to celebrate the life of ____________ who has been given life anew through God's miraculous gift of his Son. All life is a gift from God our creator. In Nehemiah 9:6, we read,
You alone are the Lord, you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. We give God thanks and praise for the gift of eternal life for all who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ who was born to be the Savior of the world.
Responsive Reading from John 10:27--30
Reader: My sheep hear my voice.
Response: I know them, and they follow me.
Reader: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
Response: No one will snatch them out of my hand.
Reader: What my Father has given me is greater than all else,
Response: And no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.
Prayer
Leader: Let us pray. Father Creator, you have given us life, a gift from your bountiful hand. Knowing our sinful nature, you planned for our salvation by giving us your Son, who in turn gave his life for us on the cross. We give you thanks and praise. Give comfort to those who grieve with the assurance that eternal life waits for all who believer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Old Testament Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:151--156, 165--166
Reader: Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.
Response: Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.
Reader: Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law.
Response: Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise.
Reader: Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
Response: Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your justice.
Reader: Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Response: I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfill your commandments.
New Testament Readings
Leader: The Bible guarantees salvation for those who live according to God's commands, not clinging to things of this earth, but clinging to the love of the Lord and the belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Romans 8:9--11 tells us:
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
On the night before Jesus died, he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to his Father. The prayer assures us that God's plan was complete. We read in John 17:1--8:
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me."
Responsive Reading:
Leader: God, the Father, sent his Son to die for our sins and give us an eternal home in heaven. Like bread which nourishes our bodies, Jesus tells us that he is the bread which comes from heaven to nourish our souls. In John 6:51--58, he says:
Reader: I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Response: Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
Reader: And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Response: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Reader: So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
Reader: And I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
Reader: Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
Response: So whoever eats me will live because of me.
Reader: This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
Response: But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Meditation and Prayer
Leader: Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, is our Bread from Heaven, a gift from the Father to a world of sinful men, so that we might be saved. In silence, let us reflect upon the these words:
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
(Silence) Let us pray. Father, Creator, we give you thanks for the wonders you have given us, the earth, the sky, and our own being. We belong to you, and therefore, we must remember you can call us at your will to be with you in our home in heaven. Help us to understand that we are here only a little while. We are with you in heaven for eternity. In the name of Jesus, our Gift of Life. Amen.
Reading from Matthew 16:24--27
Reader: We see that our lives are gifts. How should we live the life that the Father has given us? How does the Lord expect us to behave? In Matthew 16, we read:
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done."
Meditation
Leader: As was heard, we are to take up the cross and follow Jesus, doing the will of the Father. In Romans 2:6 we read:
For [God] will repay according to each one's deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
This message reminds us that our lives are not measured by the material things we accumulate, but by the way in which we have touched lives according to God's commandments. ________________ has touched our lives in many ways. Let us take a few silent moments to think about the special ways _____________ has affected our lives. (Silence) Now we ask if family and friends would like to share with us any special ways in which _____________ touched their lives.
A Time for Sharing (The leader will allow time for recollections.)
Comfort for the Living
Reader: Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:19--24).
Leader: You have heard Jesus' words, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life." You are assured that today ________________ and all who have died in the Lord live together in heaven. We praise you, God, for your mercy and comfort which comes to us from the Holy Spirit.
Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:35--41
Reader: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Response: Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Reader: Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.
Response: Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.
Reader: Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.
Response: See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
All: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.
Leader: Let us pray the prayer our Lord taught us:
All: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
Leader: Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children" (Revelation 21:6--7).
We thank you Heavenly Father for the cooling waters which you offer us from the heavenly springs. You guide us and keep us safe through all our days, and when our time has come, you carry us to your home in heaven. Comfort us with your steadfast love and guide our footsteps until our gift is complete, the gift of life eternal. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(The service is concluded.)
Service Program For Distribution
The Gift Of Life
(The participants will read the portions of the service marked Response and All.)
Opening Invocation
Responsive Reading from John 10:27--30
Reader: My sheep hear my voice.
Response: I know them, and they follow me.
Reader: I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
Response: No one will snatch them out of my hand.
Reader: What my Father has given me is greater than all else,
Response: And no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.
Prayer
Old Testament Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:151--156, 165--166
Reader: Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.
Response: Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.
Reader: Look on my misery and rescue me, for I do not forget your law.
Response: Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise.
Reader: Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes.
Response: Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your justice.
Reader: Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Response: I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I fulfill your commandments.
New Testament Readings
Responsive Reading from John 6:51--58
Reader: I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Response: Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
Reader: And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Response: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Reader: So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
Reader: And I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Response: Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
Reader: Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
Response: So whoever eats me will live because of me.
Reader: This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
Response: But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
Meditation and Prayer
Reading from Matthew 16:24--27
Meditation
A Time for Sharing
Comfort for the Living
Responsive Reading from Psalm 119:35--41
Reader: Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Response: Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Reader: Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.
Response: Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.
Reader: Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.
Response: See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
All: Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.
The Lord's Prayer
All: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Closing Prayer
