Complete Funeral Service
(including eulogy and grave-side service)
by Frank Schaefer (adapted from the United Methodist Book of Worship)
Greeting: We have gathered here this afternoon in God's presence as
family and friends to remember the life of _______________ and to commend his/her soul
into the gracious care of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We come together in grief,
acknowledging our human loss. May God grant us grace, that in pain we may find comfort, in
sorrow hope, in death resurrection.
Scripture Verses:
The Word of God tells us that:
Dying, Christ destroyed our death.
Rising, Christ restored our life.
As in baptism _____________ put on Christ
So in Christ may he be clothed with glory.
Here and now, we are God's children
What we shall be has not yet been revealed;
But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him
For we shall see Christ as he is.
This is our Christian hope.
Listen to the Word of grace:
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and I am life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet they shall live,
and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end
the first and the last.
I died and behold I am alive for evermore,
and I hold the keys of hell and death
because I live, you shall live also.
Let us pray
O God, who gave us birth, you are ever more ready to hear
than we are to pray.
You know our needs before we ask.
Give us now your grace, that as we shrink before the mystery of death,
we may see the light of eternity.
Speak to us once more your solemn message of life & death
Help us to live as those who are prepared to die.
And when our days here are accomplished,
enable us to die as those who go forth to live,
so that nothing in life or in death will separate us
from your great love in Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Let us now attend to the Words of Psalm 23 (or other Scripture)
[Hymn]
Eulogy
[As an introduction you may want to read the obituary published in the local
newspaper.]
[I usually proceed to share some aspects of the life of the deceased as shared by
family members or from my own knowledge of the person].
We could tell and retell all of the wonderful aspects of ________ and his/her life. And
it’s a good thing that we have these memories. They will be with us forever.
Yet, there is a more important aspect about _________'s life that I would like to
emphasize--an aspect worthy of celebration: his/her faith.
At this time we are reminded of the fact that we all are mortal, we all have to die one
day (they say it’s the most certain thing in life besides taxes). And that brings up
those questions concerning the meaning of it all, doesn't it?
As I see it, there are three basic attitudes to live your life in light of eternity:
a) the attitude of : "I live only once. So I’m going to live life to the
"fullest." I want to get as much out of life as possible. And this attitude
causes us to go about our lives hurting God, others, and, yes, in the end even ourselves.
b) the second attitude is that of ‘Pascal's Wager.’ I don't know if the
religious message of heaven and hell is true, but just in case it is, I’m going to
live according to the religious ways. Because if it is not true, then I will be oblivious
of it, but if it's true, I'm gonna be glad I lived according to God's laws.
c) the third attitude is only possible if you have experienced God's grace and
forgiveness. It creates in us a joy to be there for others, to love not because we get
anything in return, but because we are full of love.
That's the attitude we should all strive for. What do I mean when I say let us
celebrate ________'s faith. In the stories I've heard of him/her, the way s/he lived, and
in the way s/he went on to be with the Lord, s/he was a living testimony of God's love and
grace, and s/he has taken his/her seat among the one's who have gone before him/her in the
faith. And it is so good to see that s/he died being surrounded by loved ones, just as
s/he has surrounded others with his/her love.
Let us, in the face of the mystery of death, and given the testimony of ________’s
life of faith, let us therefore evaluate our own life. Let us be reminded of the things
that are truly important. Things that survive into eternity: our faith in Jesus Christ,
the love we share with others, the Word of God, etc. Let us live our lives so that
testimonies abound at your and my funeral service--testimonies of the grace and goodness
of God evidenced in your and my life. Amen
[Allow time for testimonials of family members or friends]
[Hymn]
Let us pray:
God of us all, your love never ends.
When all else fails, you still are God.
We pray to you for one another in our need
and for all, anywhere, who mourn with us this day.
To those who doubt, give light;
To those who are weak, strength.
Keep true in us the love with which we hold one another
In all our ways we trust you.
Benediction
Now to the One who is able to keep you from falling
and to make you stand without blemish
in the presence of God's glory with rejoicing
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority now and forevermore.
Amen.
_________________________________
At the Grave-Side
Scripture Verses:
Jesus said: "Truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and
dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love
their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal
life. Whoever serves me, must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also.
Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
Prayer of Committal:
Almighty God, into your hands, we commend your son/daughter ___________ in sure and
certain hope of resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This body we
commit to the ground (to the elements/its resting place):
earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.
Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors for their deeds follow them.
Lord, we thank you for those we love but see no more. Receive into your arms your servant
_____________ and grant that increasing in knowledge and love of you, s/he may go from
strength to strength in service to your heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us share in the Lord’s prayer together
