Mystery Of Death
Sermon
The Word Is Life
An Anthology Of Funeral Meditations
Opening
May the grace and peace of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, be with us all.
We gather here, in the face of the preciousness of life and of the mystery of death. ____________ and ____________, with the death of your child something has changed irrevocably: anticipation has been thwarted, hope has been dashed, possibility has been ended, a corner has been turned.
____________and ____________for you, too, anticipation of a new life in your home was thwarted, and the possibility of having a brother or sister was ended.
In all of this there has been crying and hurt, anger and frustration, times of being scared and of holding one another, times of shouting and sobbing.
In all of this we are reminded of the frailty of life, and the mystery of death. At the same time, we are reminded of the constancy and dependability of God and God's promises, remembering both the ''otherness'' as well as the intimacy of God. This is a time to listen to the wisdom of the men and women who have gone that way before, and who have said in the midst of their suffering: Here am I, send me.
Today, as we stand here together and commit this unfulfilled life back to God, as we listen, as we cling to one another for strength and sustenance, we also will turn our faces to a new place in which to go - a new Jerusalem which is ahead for us, even as Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem.
In such a time, our hope is in the God who does not leave, who cannot be separated, who embraces us with the warmth of a mother and the protection of a father, who walks with us in the surety of a brother or a sister. Nothing can separate us, Paul says, from the love of God. Nothing. That is our faith. That is our hope. May God grant us all the courage, the wisdom and the strength so to know, and so to be.
(A prayer may be read here.)
Readings From The Scripture
Psalm 23
Psalm 121
Job 19:25--27
2 Corinthians 4:7--11
2 Corinthians 5:16
Matthew 4:3--10
Matthew 11:28--30
John 14:25--27
(A poem may be read here.)
Prayers
Gentle God, born an infant in Jesus Christ in the family of Joseph and Mary, we thank you for this family who grieves this day. You know of the hope and promise that they felt in the coming of this child, and the defeat and anguish which overcomes them in this loss. Remind them that even as Jesus embraced the little children, so you embrace those who cross the boundaries of our lives and, by your grace, know the peace of your eternal home.
Sustain ____________ and ____________, ____________ and ____________. Kindle anew the ashes of joy in them. Grant the peace and confidence of your promise that in all things, in life and in death, you are God, and you are with us, both in this life and in the life to come. Through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Commendation
Holy God, by your mighty power you gave us life, and in your love you have given us new life in Jesus Christ. We now entrust this child to your merciful care. We do this in the faith of Christ Jesus, who died and rose again to save us and is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in glory for ever. Amen.
May the peace of God, which beyond all understanding, keep your hearts and minds, in the knowledge and love of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the grace and peace of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, be with us all.
We gather here, in the face of the preciousness of life and of the mystery of death. ____________ and ____________, with the death of your child something has changed irrevocably: anticipation has been thwarted, hope has been dashed, possibility has been ended, a corner has been turned.
____________and ____________for you, too, anticipation of a new life in your home was thwarted, and the possibility of having a brother or sister was ended.
In all of this there has been crying and hurt, anger and frustration, times of being scared and of holding one another, times of shouting and sobbing.
In all of this we are reminded of the frailty of life, and the mystery of death. At the same time, we are reminded of the constancy and dependability of God and God's promises, remembering both the ''otherness'' as well as the intimacy of God. This is a time to listen to the wisdom of the men and women who have gone that way before, and who have said in the midst of their suffering: Here am I, send me.
Today, as we stand here together and commit this unfulfilled life back to God, as we listen, as we cling to one another for strength and sustenance, we also will turn our faces to a new place in which to go - a new Jerusalem which is ahead for us, even as Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem.
In such a time, our hope is in the God who does not leave, who cannot be separated, who embraces us with the warmth of a mother and the protection of a father, who walks with us in the surety of a brother or a sister. Nothing can separate us, Paul says, from the love of God. Nothing. That is our faith. That is our hope. May God grant us all the courage, the wisdom and the strength so to know, and so to be.
(A prayer may be read here.)
Readings From The Scripture
Psalm 23
Psalm 121
Job 19:25--27
2 Corinthians 4:7--11
2 Corinthians 5:16
Matthew 4:3--10
Matthew 11:28--30
John 14:25--27
(A poem may be read here.)
Prayers
Gentle God, born an infant in Jesus Christ in the family of Joseph and Mary, we thank you for this family who grieves this day. You know of the hope and promise that they felt in the coming of this child, and the defeat and anguish which overcomes them in this loss. Remind them that even as Jesus embraced the little children, so you embrace those who cross the boundaries of our lives and, by your grace, know the peace of your eternal home.
Sustain ____________ and ____________, ____________ and ____________. Kindle anew the ashes of joy in them. Grant the peace and confidence of your promise that in all things, in life and in death, you are God, and you are with us, both in this life and in the life to come. Through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Commendation
Holy God, by your mighty power you gave us life, and in your love you have given us new life in Jesus Christ. We now entrust this child to your merciful care. We do this in the faith of Christ Jesus, who died and rose again to save us and is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in glory for ever. Amen.
May the peace of God, which beyond all understanding, keep your hearts and minds, in the knowledge and love of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
