A
Ceremony of Committal
The
liturgies, celebrations, ceremonies, prayers, and reflections offered
on this blog are the result of my thoughts, reflections, and
experiences,
woven together using my own words
and sometimes adapting
the words others have used:
I am indebted to their wisdom.
Please
note that the Rites of Passage liturgies are offered as templates,
and should be adapted as appropriate for your particular gathering.
Everyone is invited to join in saying the words in large
bold
type.
Opening
Words and Prayer:
For
everything there is a season,
and
a time for every purpose under heaven:
a
time to be born and a time to die;
a
time to mourn and a time to dance. (from
Ecclesiastes 3)
We
meet here today because N has died and the life we shared with her
has come to an end. This is a time of loss and sadness, but it can
also be a time of thankfulness, as we remember N’s life and all she
means to us and shared with us. Death does not bring to an end N’s
influence, nor the love and respect in which she is held: these will
continue to be powerful for as long as she is remembered. The sadness
and pain that we feel is because N has crossed over the boundary
between the life God gives us in this world and the new life beyond
death, which lies beyond our seeing, our hearing, or our imagining;
and we cannot cross that threshold to be with N, and all those whom
we love, until our own time comes.
for
everything she meant and continues to mean to us.
We
praise you that for N all suffering and sorrow are ended,
death
itself is past, and she lives for ever in your love and care.
As
we stand on the boundary between life and death
we
thank you for your precious gift of life, for giving N to be with us,
and
for the journey we have shared with her on earth,
which has now ended.
Amen.
The
Committal:
All
matter originated in the burst of heat and light
which
created our universe billions of years ago.
We
are made of the same stuff as the stars, the planets,
and
this earth itself, which we know in this life as our home.
And
so, reverently, lovingly, and trustingly,
we
return N's body to the elements,
which
welcome us all at the time of our death,
earth
to earth, ashes to ashes, star-dust to star-dust;
and
we commit her being to all that is eternal.
God
who gives us life, and in whose arms we die,
we
entrust N to your safe keeping.
Receive
N as one of your own, and may she rest,
free
from illusion, pain or regret, for ever in your peace.
Amen.
Parting
Words:
Into
the freedom of wind and sunshine:
We
let you go.
Into
the dance of the stars and the planets:
We
let you go.
Into
the wind’s breath and the hands of the star maker:
We
let you go.
Closing
words and prayer:
May
all that we loved about N continue to find expression
in
the ways we love one another
and
how we face whatever the future holds.
May
we take inspiration from the glimmer of the divine
we
see through the lives of others.
And
therefore, from this moment on,
let
us live our lives with a surer faith, a greater hope,
and
a more steadfast love.
Lord
of all being, support us by your grace
through all the hours of life’s day,
until the shadows lengthen, the busy world is hushed,
and the evening comes.
through all the hours of life’s day,
until the shadows lengthen, the busy world is hushed,
and the evening comes.
Then,
Lord, in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging,
a
holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.
Words
of Blessing:
The
peace of this ancient earth to you,
of the high blue heavens which embrace it,
and the winds which blow freely over it;
of the high blue heavens which embrace it,
and the winds which blow freely over it;
the
peace of splintered light sparkling on leaves,
and gentle rain falling on dry earth;
and gentle rain falling on dry earth;
the
peace of star-jewelled skies and full-orbed moons,
of breathless dawns and splendid dying suns;
of breathless dawns and splendid dying suns;
and
the peace of the God of Peace to you.
Amen.