Funeral Service for Philimore Bailey
Sunrise: 8th August 1944
Sunset: 9th April 2020
Held at Golders Green Crematorium on Tuesday 5th May 2020
Sunrise: 8th August 1944
Sunset: 9th April 2020
Held at Golders Green Crematorium on Tuesday 5th May 2020
Entry music – 'It is well with my soul' (instrumental)
“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21)
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:7)
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwellings; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-14)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Introduction and Welcome
Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated.
We come this afternoon to give thanks for the life of our dear brother, Philimore Bailey. We come together under strange and restricted circumstances, but I trust that our brief time together in the presence of God will, nonetheless, be a fitting and thankful remembrance of Philimore and his life and a comfort to family and friends alike.
We are here this afternoon to remember the life of Philimore Bailey.
We are here this afternoon because, in one way or another, his death affects us all,
And so we come to offer comfort to one another; but especially to his family, both here and overseas. Our thoughts and prayers are with you today.
We are here this afternoon to hear from God’s Word, to consider and remember the great hope of the Christian faith; and in quiet gratitude to give thanks to God for Philimore’s life.
Let us remain seated as we pray:
Prayer
Heavenly Father, whose love is stronger than death, help us this afternoon, as we hear the promises of your Word, to understand them, to believe them and to receive the comfort they offer.
Renew our trust in your Son, who has gone before us through death and has been raised to life; strengthen our faith that all who have died in the love of Christ will share in his resurrection.
You are the giver of hope: fill us with the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, that our fears may be dispelled, our loneliness eased and our hope re-awakened; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
We are going to sing our first hymn, How great Thou art.
Hymn 1: How Great Thou Art
Translated from the Russian by Stuart K. Hine 1899-1989
Copyright © 1953 Stuart K Hine/SK Hine Trust/Kingsway’s Thankyou Music
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
And when I think that God – his Son not sparing –
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Mr Basil is now going to bring us a reading from the Scriptures from Ecclesiastes 3.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Remembering Philimore
We’re going to hear now from June Holder, Philimore’s niece, as she shares some memories of Philimore.
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are eft will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Sermon
Our reading this afternoon is one of the passages of the New Testament that expresses something of the hope we have as Christians in the face of death.
In the face of the pandemic that has taken thousands from us, including our brother Philimore, people are nonetheless talking a lot about hope; looking for hope. People are telling us that we need hope in times like these. We need to be positive. We need to be optimistic. We need to hope for the best.
But the hope of the Christian faith is not just optimism. We don’t simply hope that Philimore is in a better place. for when we come face to face with death, when it seems all hope is gone, wishful thinking and hoping for the best is not good enough.
It’s not good enough on a day when we cannot even hug each other and give each other the comfort that we normally would on a day like today. No, we need something more than that. When all of our ordinary hopes are defeated by death, when the dreams of a future that might have been have been taken from us, we need real hope.
A hope that is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where God defeated death and removed the despair that death casts over all of life.
It was on another day, when people gathered in mourning for a man named Lazarus, that Jesus said to the sister of the deceased, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ (John 11:25-26)
It's a question that he asks us again today. Do we believe that everything to do with the resurrection, everything to do with eternal life, is wrapped up in Jesus? Do we believe that because of his death and resurrection, that everyone who believes in him will live, even though they die.
Because that was the hope of our brother Philimore. It is why I have hope for him today.
I remember that day when he stood beside me in the waters of baptism, and repented of his sins and declared his faith, his trust, in the Lord Jesus Christ; in the Saviour who died and was buried and rose again.
The New Testament reminds us that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then our faith is useless, that we are still in our sins, and those who have gone before us are lost. It tells us that if we only have hope for this life, then we should be pitied more than anyone else… if Christ has not been raised.
But then it says some of my favourite words… But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
The Jesus who was crucified, who died and was buried, was raised to life and was seen alive by his disciples, by his brother James, by more than five hundred people at one point.
In that verse, he’s called the firstfruits, because he is the guarantee that he will not be the last to be raised to eternal life. There will be more to come.
That is why the passage we read just now says,
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
That is not to say we do not grieve. The pain and sorrow of being parted from our dear brother is real. But in the midst of real sorrow, God’s word reminds us that we have real hope, and so we do not grieve as the rest of mankind.
We grieve with hope knowing that Jesus in his mighty resurrection has defeated death. We grieve with hope that, though we physically die, we will not die for ever. We grieve with hope knowing that when our Lord Jesus returns, he will bring with him all those who have fallen asleep in him; that is, he will bring with him all those who have died trusting in Jesus for eternal life.
And that promise of eternal life is offered to us all today. That offer of hope, and life eternal. That if we would repent of our sins and put our trust in the person and work of Jesus, who died and rose again to save us, then that hope of eternal life can be ours.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)
It was a joy over recent years to see Philimore not just attending church, but to see him come to truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, as his Lord; to see him grow in his understanding of the gospel as he we went through the Christianity Explored course, as he prepared for baptism, and became a member of Kenton Evangelical Church. He knew that Jesus had died to save him from his sins and he trusted Jesus to do that.
When Jesus says, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
Philimore could say, “Yes. I do believe” Can you?
We rightly grieve today. Our sorrow is real, and even increased by the restrictions of these days, but our hope in the risen Lord Jesus is real too.
Which is why I look forward to the day when Philimore and all those who have trusted in Christ will be raised to resurrection life in the new creation.
I look forward to the day that God has promised when we will be with the Lord forever.
I look forward to that day when it will be said, 3 ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4)
Philimore’s hope in life, and in death, was that he belonged to Jesus. I pray that this hope will be yours too. Amen
Prayer
I am going to lead us in prayer. At the end of the prayers we will say the prayer which Jesus taught his followers, known as the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll find the words printed in the order of service, if you wish to join in at that point.
Let us pray:
Father God, we praise you and thank you for the world in which we live and for the lives you have given us. We thank you for the new life offered to us in Jesus Christ, through his death on the cross and your raising him to life again. In him, you have shown us that nothing can separate us from your love. Now at a time when grief fills our hearts, help us to go on trusting your love.
We thank you for the life of our dear brother, Philimore Bailey and all that he meant to us; for those things in his life which gave us glimpses of your goodness and love. We pray that we will in the days to come remember all that was good in his life, and rejoice in that. We thank you that our lives were enriched by his presence; and as such, our sorrow today is real and our loss is great.
We ask that those who were close to him may now because of his death, be close to one another and be aware of your love present through all things.
We thank you for reminding us today of your great love and compassion for those who fear you; who rightly recognise you for who you are and for all you have done.
We pray that we may know the hope that comes from trusting you and that the knowledge of your everlasting love may be truly ours.
Help us to grasp more firmly the hope that life is longer than our years and the love you have shown us in Christ is stronger than death; through that same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Help us now to be content to release our beloved Philimore to you, that our grief may neither be overwhelming nor unending. Assure us of your love, strengthen our trust in your grace, and grant us your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together, saying,
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
We’re going to close by singing a hymn that expresses our trust and hope, that in life and in death, and into eternal life, Christ will abide with those who trust in him.
Please remain standing for prayer after we have finished singing this hymn.
Let us stand to sing,
Hymn 2: Abide With Me
Henry F Lyte 1793-1847
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see:
You never change, O Lord; abide with me.
I need your presence every passing hour;
What but your grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like yourself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe with you at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory?
I triumph still if you abide with me.
Hold, Lord, your cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies:
Heaven’s morning breaks
and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Commendation and farewell
Let us pray:
Almighty God, Creator and Redeemer; confident of the victory of Christ in his death and mighty resurrection and claiming the promises given in your holy word, and looking forward to that day when all those who have trusted Christ will be raised with him to eternal life, we entrust our brother Philimore to your eternal mercy, love and compassion, that this day his rest may be in peace, his suffering ended, and his dwelling in the paradise of God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Let us pray:
We have entrusted our brother, Philimore, to God’s mercy, and we now commit his body to be cremated: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, who died, was buried, and rose again for us. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
The Dismissal
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 doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
“The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Amen
Exit: 'I will always love you' – Whitney Houston
“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21)
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:7)
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwellings; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-14)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Introduction and Welcome
Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated.
We come this afternoon to give thanks for the life of our dear brother, Philimore Bailey. We come together under strange and restricted circumstances, but I trust that our brief time together in the presence of God will, nonetheless, be a fitting and thankful remembrance of Philimore and his life and a comfort to family and friends alike.
We are here this afternoon to remember the life of Philimore Bailey.
We are here this afternoon because, in one way or another, his death affects us all,
And so we come to offer comfort to one another; but especially to his family, both here and overseas. Our thoughts and prayers are with you today.
We are here this afternoon to hear from God’s Word, to consider and remember the great hope of the Christian faith; and in quiet gratitude to give thanks to God for Philimore’s life.
Let us remain seated as we pray:
Prayer
Heavenly Father, whose love is stronger than death, help us this afternoon, as we hear the promises of your Word, to understand them, to believe them and to receive the comfort they offer.
Renew our trust in your Son, who has gone before us through death and has been raised to life; strengthen our faith that all who have died in the love of Christ will share in his resurrection.
You are the giver of hope: fill us with the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, that our fears may be dispelled, our loneliness eased and our hope re-awakened; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
We are going to sing our first hymn, How great Thou art.
Hymn 1: How Great Thou Art
Translated from the Russian by Stuart K. Hine 1899-1989
Copyright © 1953 Stuart K Hine/SK Hine Trust/Kingsway’s Thankyou Music
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
And when I think that God – his Son not sparing –
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Mr Basil is now going to bring us a reading from the Scriptures from Ecclesiastes 3.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Remembering Philimore
We’re going to hear now from June Holder, Philimore’s niece, as she shares some memories of Philimore.
Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are eft will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Sermon
Our reading this afternoon is one of the passages of the New Testament that expresses something of the hope we have as Christians in the face of death.
In the face of the pandemic that has taken thousands from us, including our brother Philimore, people are nonetheless talking a lot about hope; looking for hope. People are telling us that we need hope in times like these. We need to be positive. We need to be optimistic. We need to hope for the best.
But the hope of the Christian faith is not just optimism. We don’t simply hope that Philimore is in a better place. for when we come face to face with death, when it seems all hope is gone, wishful thinking and hoping for the best is not good enough.
It’s not good enough on a day when we cannot even hug each other and give each other the comfort that we normally would on a day like today. No, we need something more than that. When all of our ordinary hopes are defeated by death, when the dreams of a future that might have been have been taken from us, we need real hope.
A hope that is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, where God defeated death and removed the despair that death casts over all of life.
It was on another day, when people gathered in mourning for a man named Lazarus, that Jesus said to the sister of the deceased, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ (John 11:25-26)
It's a question that he asks us again today. Do we believe that everything to do with the resurrection, everything to do with eternal life, is wrapped up in Jesus? Do we believe that because of his death and resurrection, that everyone who believes in him will live, even though they die.
Because that was the hope of our brother Philimore. It is why I have hope for him today.
I remember that day when he stood beside me in the waters of baptism, and repented of his sins and declared his faith, his trust, in the Lord Jesus Christ; in the Saviour who died and was buried and rose again.
The New Testament reminds us that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then our faith is useless, that we are still in our sins, and those who have gone before us are lost. It tells us that if we only have hope for this life, then we should be pitied more than anyone else… if Christ has not been raised.
But then it says some of my favourite words… But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
The Jesus who was crucified, who died and was buried, was raised to life and was seen alive by his disciples, by his brother James, by more than five hundred people at one point.
In that verse, he’s called the firstfruits, because he is the guarantee that he will not be the last to be raised to eternal life. There will be more to come.
That is why the passage we read just now says,
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
That is not to say we do not grieve. The pain and sorrow of being parted from our dear brother is real. But in the midst of real sorrow, God’s word reminds us that we have real hope, and so we do not grieve as the rest of mankind.
We grieve with hope knowing that Jesus in his mighty resurrection has defeated death. We grieve with hope that, though we physically die, we will not die for ever. We grieve with hope knowing that when our Lord Jesus returns, he will bring with him all those who have fallen asleep in him; that is, he will bring with him all those who have died trusting in Jesus for eternal life.
And that promise of eternal life is offered to us all today. That offer of hope, and life eternal. That if we would repent of our sins and put our trust in the person and work of Jesus, who died and rose again to save us, then that hope of eternal life can be ours.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)
It was a joy over recent years to see Philimore not just attending church, but to see him come to truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, as his Lord; to see him grow in his understanding of the gospel as he we went through the Christianity Explored course, as he prepared for baptism, and became a member of Kenton Evangelical Church. He knew that Jesus had died to save him from his sins and he trusted Jesus to do that.
When Jesus says, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
Philimore could say, “Yes. I do believe” Can you?
We rightly grieve today. Our sorrow is real, and even increased by the restrictions of these days, but our hope in the risen Lord Jesus is real too.
Which is why I look forward to the day when Philimore and all those who have trusted in Christ will be raised to resurrection life in the new creation.
I look forward to the day that God has promised when we will be with the Lord forever.
I look forward to that day when it will be said, 3 ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4)
Philimore’s hope in life, and in death, was that he belonged to Jesus. I pray that this hope will be yours too. Amen
Prayer
I am going to lead us in prayer. At the end of the prayers we will say the prayer which Jesus taught his followers, known as the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll find the words printed in the order of service, if you wish to join in at that point.
Let us pray:
Father God, we praise you and thank you for the world in which we live and for the lives you have given us. We thank you for the new life offered to us in Jesus Christ, through his death on the cross and your raising him to life again. In him, you have shown us that nothing can separate us from your love. Now at a time when grief fills our hearts, help us to go on trusting your love.
We thank you for the life of our dear brother, Philimore Bailey and all that he meant to us; for those things in his life which gave us glimpses of your goodness and love. We pray that we will in the days to come remember all that was good in his life, and rejoice in that. We thank you that our lives were enriched by his presence; and as such, our sorrow today is real and our loss is great.
We ask that those who were close to him may now because of his death, be close to one another and be aware of your love present through all things.
We thank you for reminding us today of your great love and compassion for those who fear you; who rightly recognise you for who you are and for all you have done.
We pray that we may know the hope that comes from trusting you and that the knowledge of your everlasting love may be truly ours.
Help us to grasp more firmly the hope that life is longer than our years and the love you have shown us in Christ is stronger than death; through that same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Help us now to be content to release our beloved Philimore to you, that our grief may neither be overwhelming nor unending. Assure us of your love, strengthen our trust in your grace, and grant us your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together, saying,
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
We’re going to close by singing a hymn that expresses our trust and hope, that in life and in death, and into eternal life, Christ will abide with those who trust in him.
Please remain standing for prayer after we have finished singing this hymn.
Let us stand to sing,
Hymn 2: Abide With Me
Henry F Lyte 1793-1847
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see:
You never change, O Lord; abide with me.
I need your presence every passing hour;
What but your grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like yourself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe with you at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory?
I triumph still if you abide with me.
Hold, Lord, your cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies:
Heaven’s morning breaks
and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Commendation and farewell
Let us pray:
Almighty God, Creator and Redeemer; confident of the victory of Christ in his death and mighty resurrection and claiming the promises given in your holy word, and looking forward to that day when all those who have trusted Christ will be raised with him to eternal life, we entrust our brother Philimore to your eternal mercy, love and compassion, that this day his rest may be in peace, his suffering ended, and his dwelling in the paradise of God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Let us pray:
We have entrusted our brother, Philimore, to God’s mercy, and we now commit his body to be cremated: earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our frail bodies that they may be conformed to his glorious body, who died, was buried, and rose again for us. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
The Dismissal
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 doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
“The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Amen
Exit: 'I will always love you' – Whitney Houston
