Generic Funeral Liturgy

[Joshua Villines]

On the subject of baptist liturgies, I have a template that I use when I'm asked to do a funeral for a stranger. It it much, much less elaborate than what we do at our church; but it seems to be well received in the right setting. (I have this formatted as a Word Document that you can print out front & back and then insert discretely in your Bible if anyone wants a copy.)
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At the church/funeral home:

Collect
Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into your unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Scripture Reading – I Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Hymn or Solo Title Here

Second Scripture Reading – I Corinthians 15:35-43
But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

Hymn or Solo Title Here

Third Scripture Reading – II Timothy 4:6-8
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Doxology

Homily
• Reflect on and honor the person’s life
• Recognize our grief
• Proclaim the hope of the gospel

Prayer (close with the Lord’s Prayer)

Simplified Eucharist

Hymn or Solo Title Here

Benediction


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At the graveside:

Collect
Almighty God, we remember before you today your faithful servant ***; and we pray that, having opened to him/her the gates of larger life, you will receive him/her more and more into your joyful service, that, with all who have faithfully served you in the past, (s)he may share in the eternal victory of Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Scripture – II Corinthians 4:16-5:8
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Brief Remarks

Committal
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother/sister ***, and we commit his/her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him/her and keep him/her, the Lord make His face to shine upon him/her and be gracious to him/her, the Lord lift up His countenance upon him/her and give him/her peace. Amen.

Prayer
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother/sister ***. We thank you for giving him/her to us, his/her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Lord’s Prayer

Benediction

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Collect's and prayers come from the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. Scripture quotations are from the NRSV.

[John]

I was just wondering if responding to this really old post would bring it to the top.

Let's see.

[Joshua Villines]