The day of a funeral begins with grief. The family of the deceased feels the sharp pain of loss.
The Prayer Book at the Death Bed
As a home hospice chaplain this past year, I have spent more time with the actively dying than in my previous 10 years in parish ministry. Accordingly, I have become much more acquainted with pages 223–245 in the Book of Common Prayer (2019). Although the BCP works as a “plug-and-play” resource, I thought a few…
We Believe: We Look for the Resurrection of the Dead
Every Sunday, Christians rise to confess the faith once delivered: “We believe in one God… We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ… We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” The Nicene Creed moves with a steady rhythm of affirmations, statements about what God has done in history, and what he has promised to…
Psalms and Prayers after an Assassination
After an assassination, we really ought to pray. By definition, an assassination is a surprise, a shocking and unexpected murder of a political or religious leader. We remember assassinations because we feel them personally; at the assassination of public figures, our minds and bodies participate in the shock. This shock produces anger, and anger can…
Why Do Anglicans Pray for the Dead?
For those new to the Anglican tradition, it may surprise you that the Book of Common Prayer, in all of its major editions, offers prayers for those who have died in the Christian faith. We don’t just pray for those who mourn; we pray for the departed themselves. We see these prayers for the dead…
Death, Be Not Proud: A Reading of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X
“Death, Be not proud,” also known as Holy Sonnet X, is John Donne’s great poem in mockery of Death. Composed in 1609, the poem was published posthumously in 1633. It is fitting that Donne got the final word, laughing at Death from his grave. The power of the poem is its reversal of our experience….
Burial at Sea on the Galilee
Ashes, Ashes Tears filled Jessie’s eyes when she took my hand one evening and said, “I brought Derrick’s ashes. Could we have a service tomorrow in one of these beautiful places around the Sea of Galilee?” I knew her well. She was with her son on our trip to the Holy Land, which her husband…
The Liturgy Will Pray for You: A Journey Through Grief with the Book of Common Prayer
I did not become a Christian in a liturgical tradition, but I was introduced to liturgical prayer and worship very early in my walk. I found liturgy especially helpful in giving me words and phrases to cling to when my own prayers felt “stuck.” Now, after 21 years as a Christian, having shifted into the…
I Don’t Want a Celebration of Life, I Want a Burial Service
When I die, please don’t call my burial service a Celebration of Life. Don’t get me wrong, I hope that people will want to celebrate my life. I don’t want this to replace my Christian burial. No, bury me according to the rites of a Christian. I want to be one more brother in Christ,…
The Funeral: Pastoring in the time of Mourning
A funeral is one of the most difficult things anyone may ever have to do. Even as “professionals,” it is often difficult to know what to do or what to say. Often we may not even know the deceased that well. They may have been a family member of a parishioner, or they may have attended our church…
