Funerals

A Suggested Order of Service

The following order of service is a suggestion, not a requirement. It provides room for variety and personalization.

Gathering in God’s Name

• Greeting/Welcome
• Procession to Front of Church
• Prayer of Invocation
• Prayers of Lament
• Songs/Hymns of Lament

Hearing God’s Word

• Scripture Readings
• Sermon/Homily
• Creed
• Songs/Hymns of Comfort

Praying Together

• Remembrances (testifying to the ways God’s grace was refracted through the deceased’s life)
• Prayer of Thanksgiving & Intercession
• Lord’s Prayer
• Songs/Hymns of Resurrection Hope

The Comittal

• Commendation
• Words of Committal
• Concluding Prayers

Scripture Readings

Choose readings from both the Old and New Testaments. The readings ought to focus on lament, the comfort the gospel gives, and the hope of resurrection.

Many different passages of Scripture could be used. The following list is suggestive rather than exhaustive.

Old Testament

• Deut 33:27a
• Job 19:23–27
• Ps 23
• Ps 27:1, 4–5, 13–14
• Ps 61:1–4
• Ps 121
• Eccl 3:1–8

New Testament

• John 11:21–27
• John 14:1–6, 27; 16:33
• Rom 6:3–5
• Rom 8:38–39
• Rom 14:8–9
• 1 Cor 15:51–57
• 2 Cor 5:1–10
• 1 Thess 4:13–18

Songs/Hymns

Rather than simply choosing favorite songs, select songs that provide a balance of lament, comfort, and hope of resurrection.

Lament

• “Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” (Steele; new music by Twit)
• “How Long?” (Wardell)
• “Lord, From Sorrows Deep I Call (Psalm 42)” (Boswell/Papa)
• “O Heart Bereaved and Lonely” (Crosby; new music by Miner)
• “Psalm 13” (Poor Bishop Hooper)
• “Wake Up, Jesus” (Jordan/Palmer/Wardell)

Comfort

• “Abide with Me” (Lyte)
• “Be Still, My Soul” (von Schlegel)
• “Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor” (Boswell/Papa)
• “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (Chisholm)
• “How Deep the Father’s Love” (Townend)
• “Psalm 121 (I Lift My Eyes)” (Getty/Getty/Kauflin/Merker)
• “I Will Wait Wait for You (Psalm 130)” (Getty/Kauflin/Merker/Townend)

Hope

• “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” (Getty/Getty/Boswell/Papa)
• “For All the Saints” (How; new music by Miner)
• “Is He Worthy?” (Peterson)
• “It Is Well with My Soul” (Spafford)
• “O Lord, My Rock and Redeemer” (Stiff)
• “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” (Stennett; new music by Miner)
• “We Will Feast in the House of Zion” (McCracken)
• “What Wondrous Love Is This” (Unknown)

Watch & Listen

• “Death’s Broken Power” | The End of the Christian Life Podcast. J. Todd Billings talks with Thomas G. Long about recovering a more robustly Christian funeral practice (30 min)
• “Lecture 24: Funerals” | Theology of Worship. Dr. Ligon Duncan teaches seminary students about the nature of a Christian funeral and how to conduct a gospel-centered service.

Sources

Anglican Church in North America. The Book of Common Prayer (2019). Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019.

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Faith Alive Christian Resources. The Worship Sourcebook. Grand Rapids: Calvin Institute of Christian Worship: Faith Alive: Baker Books, 2004.

Croft, Brian, and Phil Newton. Conduct Gospel-Centered Funerals: Applying the Gospel at the Unique Challenges of Death. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.

Hughes, R. Kent. The Pastor’s Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry. Edited by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

Long, Thomas G. Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013.

Witvliet, John D. “Reclaiming Funerals as Christian Worship.” Symposium on Worship Archive. 28. 2008. https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/uni-cicw-symposium/2008/allitems/28.