Soon afterward he [Jesus Christ c. AD 30] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, look and see, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Luke 7:11-17 |
The deceased (“TD”) at the funeral: Wish me luck as I wave you goodbye.
The Christian (“TC”): “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.” (Bible quotation)
TD: Do not stand at my grave and weep/ I am not there; I do not sleep./ I am a thousand winds that blow,/ I am the diamond glints on snow,/ I am the sun on ripened grain,/ I am the gentle autumn rain./ When you awaken in the morning's hush/ I am the swift uplifting rush/ Of quiet birds in circled flight. / I am the soft stars that shine at night. / Do not stand at my grave and cry, / I am not there; I did not die.
TC: 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. (Bible quotation)
TD: And now, the end is near; / And so I face the final curtain./ My friend, I'll say it clear, / I'll state my case, of which I'm certain./ I've lived a life that's full./ I've travelled each and every highway; / And more, much more than this, / I did it my way.. |
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‘Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water.’ (Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer, 1545-1616)
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TC: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour in thought and word and deed, in the evil we have done and in the good we have not done, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault and through our desire always to please ourselves. We are truly sorry, and turn away from all our sins and from our love and service of self. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may love and serve you in newness of life to the glory of your name. (Prayer)
TD: Death is nothing at all./ It does not count./ I have only slipped away into the next room./ Nothing has happened.
TC: 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. (Bible quotation)
TD: All is well./ Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost./ One brief moment and all will be as it was before./ How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
TC: Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (Bible quotation)
TD: Remember me when I am gone away,/ Gone far away into the silent land;/ When you can no more hold me by the hand,/ Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. |
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‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ (Jesus – to people in Jerusalem c. AD 30)
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TC: What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him – these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (Bible quotation)
TD: And it seems to me you lived your life/ Like a candle in the wind/ Never knowing who to cling to/ When the rain set in....
TC: We look - not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (Bible quotation) |
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