Funeral

A funeral is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world, and to commend the person into God's keeping.

As far back into history as we can penetrate, human beings seem to have felt the need to share a ceremonial experience for those who have died.

The funeral service at Church of the Savior can be very short and quiet with only a few members of the family present or an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church.

The Pastors will meet with the bereaved family to discuss the order of worship and any special requests for readings, hymns or prayers.

Questions of life and death

The funeral service will reflect the personality of the one who has died and the circumstances of their death. Feelings of grief, gratitude, joy and sadness often intermingle.

Sometimes a sense of tragedy is uppermost, especially when it is a young person who has died. When it is the end of a long and fruitful life, the feelings of thanksgiving can be strongest.

Funeral services always raise profound questions about the meaning of life and death. Jesus himself believed in a life-giving God: 'the God of the living, not of the dead.' Christians believe that Christ's resurrection is the triumph of good over evil and of life over death and has made eternal life available to us.

The funeral service

When conducted in the church the funeral service involves readings from the Bible, prayers, hymns and reflections on the life of the deceased.

The committal

The committal is a particularly solemn moment of the funeral service that takes place at the cemetery (either at the graveside or in a chapel). It is here that final words are said, but even with “final” words Christians believe that this grave is not the end.

Arranging a funeral

The person who has died may have left a paragraph in their will describing the sort of funeral arrangements they hoped for. Naturally, the family will want to keep to such arrangements as far as possible.

Church of the Savior regards the taking of funerals as an important part of their ministry. They give a lot of time to visiting families, comforting those who are facing loss, finding out what service they want to use and helping them to arrange it.

If one of the local clergy is to be asked to take the service, this should be done before any other funeral arrangements are made to make sure one is free and available. If the pastor did not know the dead person, then it would help to provide some details, especially if there is to be a eulogy.

The funeral director plays a very important part in all these arrangements and will want to know if the funeral is to be in the church or to take the service in the funeral home.

After the funeral

People who have lost someone close to them are often so busy with practical details and arrangements between the death and the funeral that they do not experience the full sense of their loss until later.

Grieving is a natural and important part of coming to terms with and healing this loss and it may continue for several months. If the pastors are asked, they will try to help.

One often finds it is those who have suffered a close bereavement themselves, clergy or lay people, who can most easily offer comfort and support to those who mourn.

Comfort is also to be found in the promises of Jesus Christ, in the hope of the Resurrection and in the belief that the beloved person is safe in the hands of God.

Funeral

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