Funeral

Christian funerals give liturgical expression to Christian faith in the face of death. We give thanks to God for the gift of life, and the good in the life now ended. We sense the reality of God’s identification with our suffering in Christ, sharing our grief and loss. We acknowledge with wonder the mystery of divine grace in the midst of death and the glimpse we are given of the communion of saints delighting in the presence of God. We proclaim the reality of God’s victory over death in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. All these aspects are set in the context of the sure hope in Christ of the resurrection of the body and the life of the heavenly kingdom.

In a funeral service we celebrate the completion of the journey of the earthly person who has died, and remind ourselves of our own pilgrimage through life. We also come together to recognise the promise of Jesus who said before he left this world: ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also’ (John 14: 3).

Jesus’s promise is the great hope of new life which we celebrate and remember with thanks in the funeral service. Please contact one of the clergy to speak about the funeral ministry.