A Ceremony of Committal

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.

Eternal God, hear us as we remember and give thanks for N,

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.

        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;

the peace of splintered light sparkling on leaves,
and gentle rain falling on dry earth;

the peace of star-jewelled skies and full-orbed moons,
of breathless dawns and splendid dying suns;

         and the peace of the God of Peace to you.

             Amen.