Theme “Grief”
Funeral prayer
As we leave this place, we shall extinguish the chalice flame,
and bid farewell to (Name)’s physical body; but we carry her/his spirit in our hearts.
May it continue to shine through us, now and always.
And so, let us pause together, in the fellowship of quietness, as we allow the wishes of our hearts to make themselves felt.
Let
Chalice lighting
When you celebrate, celebrate well, but remember
that nearby someone is grieving; and when you grieve,
grieve well, but remember that nearby someone is celebrating.
Therefore, as we gather here in this special place, we mark both grief and celebration. For absent friends, and for those whose company we enjoy right now, we light this chalice.
The first paragraph was a
Death
Death is an unbearable shock. It can hurt us to the very core of our being.
It can steal a parent; child; partner; lover; family member; dear friend at any time it chooses, often without warning.
It can visit someone whom we only know from a distance or someone we don’t know at all. The news is
Bereavement
Spirit of Love and of Life, we gather here this day to remember. To remember those who have touched our lives by their living and their dying. Blessed be their lives, and our memories of them.
We stand in the presence of a mystery, that life is, that we know the pleasures of family