Committal and Interment
Service
Opening Sentences
Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut
not thy merciful ears unto our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most
mighty, O holy and most merciful Savior, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer
us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee. Amen
I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write,
From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the
Spirit; for they rest from their labours. Revelation 14:13
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death in that dread
day when the heavens and the Earth shall be shaken, and you will come to judge
the world by fire. I tremble in awe of the judgment and the coming wrath. Day
of wrath, day of calamity and woe, great and exceeding bitter day. Rest eternal
grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Alleluia. May flights of
angels sing thee to thy rest.
Remember me O lord, when you come into your kingdom.
Give rest O Lord to your handmaid, who has fallen asleep.
The choir of saints has found the wellspring of life, and door of paradise.
Life: a shadow and a dream.
Weeping at the grave creates the song:
Alleluia. Come, enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you.
We gather at the final
resting-place for our dearly departed sister or brother, NAME, God’s
servant.
We offer praise and honor
with thanksgiving to Almighty God for the gift of NAME’s love, life and
service.
We affirm the words of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the resurrection and the life,
saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (St. John
11:25,26)
With faithful gratitude, we invoke the Spirit of the
God of all comfort who comforts us in the midst of this hour.
Prayer of Committal – Adapted from the Mozart Requiem
Grant
unto NAME eternal rest, O Lord and
Let everlasting light shine
on him or her.
To thee, O God, praise is meet in Zion,
And unto thee shall the vow be performed
In Jerusalem, Hearken unto our prayer:
Unto thee all flesh shall come.
King of awful majesty,
Who freely saves the redeemed,
Save us, O fount of mercy.
Remember, most merciful Jesus,
That NAME was the cause of your journey,
Lest thou lose him or her on that day.
Seeking him or her did thou sit weary:
Thou did redeem him or her, suffering the cross.
Let not thy labor be frustrated.
Thou who did absolve Mary,
And did hear the thief’s prayer
Has given hope to NAME also.
Give him or her a place among thy sheep
And put him or her apart from the goats
Setting him or her on thy right hand.
To
thee, O Lord, we render our
Offerings and prayers with praises.
Do thou receive them for this soul
Which we commemorate today;
Which thou did promise to
Abraham and his seed.
Lamb of God that takes away the sins
Of the world; grant NAME rest.
Lamb of God that takes away the sins
Of the world: grant him or
her eternal rest.
Let everlasting light shine upon NAME,
O Lord, with thy saints, for thou art merciful.
Grant to the departed eternal rest, O Lord,
And let everlasting light
shine upon him or her.
Amen.
The Words of Committal
In as much as it has pleased Almighty God
In His infinite wisdom and providence
To take from amongst us
our dearly departed brother or sister, NAME,
We, therefore, commend his or her spirit to
the mercy
Of our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer
From whom he or she came
Accordingly, we commit his or her body to the earth
From which it came
Earth to earth
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
We offer this commendation and committal
In the confident hope
Of the resurrection of the dead in Christ Jesus,
The return of our Lord and Savior,
And the joyous life reserved for the children of light
In the glorious and heavenly realms.
The Benediction
My friends
May the God of peace
Who through the blood of the eternal covenant
Brought back from the dead
Our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep
Equip you with everything good for the doing of his
will
And may he work in us what is pleasing to him
Through Jesus Christ
To whom be glory, power, dominion and praise
Forever and ever.
Amen
