Services of Remembrance
Which form of service is growing fastest in the Church building of England? Maybe surprisingly, the reply is services of remembrance for the bereaved. Despite the fact that there are now many other options than the Church building for the taking of funerals, the reality is that no-one does follow-upwards and connected pastoral intendance like the Church—and it therefore presents a massive opportunity.
John's Leach's latest Grove booklet in the Worship series explores the problems. John is aware of the suspicion with which such services are viewed, particularly by evangelicals, because of their association with All Souls' Day and the 'Commemoration of the True-blue Departed'. Quite autonomously from the naive optimism sometimes nowadays around the question of whether the 'departed' were indeed 'faithful', for many it has overtones of prayer for the departed. (On this, see the earlier Grove text by Chris Cocksworth, now out of print.)
But John wants to reclaim both the service and the occasion.
I desire to look briefly at the background to the 'All Souls' commemoration, and at some of the theological questions which information technology raises, but and so proceed to suggest that what we are rediscovering is actually a quite different occasion, which Christians of all stripes can cover gladly, and which can have great pastoral and evangelistic significance. I will then become on to ask some questions about how nosotros might put on such occasions likewise equally possible.
John identifies nine reasons why we might hold such services, not least of which is offering a Christian context for the longer-term process of grieving, letting get and moving on which a crematorium service on its own tin can hardly let. But he identifies a fascinating prepare of trends in society:
Two paradoxical trends in order seem to be going on. The first is the increasing desire to altitude ourselves from the fact of death. This shows itself in the emphasis on jubilant the life of deceased people rather than mourning their decease, the increasingly common reversal of funeral rites so that a small individual cremation is followed by a larger and more public commemoration, and the claim of some secular funeral officiants to focus on thanksgiving rather than grief. The rhetoric seems to be that church funerals will all be about death, judgment and misery, whereas we in the secular globe can offering services of thanksgiving and commemoration…
Meanwhile there are signs that some in our society are starting time to exist in- terested in talking nearly death before they are faced with it personally. The new interest in 'Death Cafés,' and the Anglican alternative of 'GraveTalk,' suggests that in that location is a readiness to bargain with the difficult problems around decease and dying…
The fact is that, however much we attempt to smother the sting and pain of exist- reavement under the comfy blankets of commemoration, a week later the grieving widow will be alone and sorrowing. The strapline of the Funerals Project, 'With you every step of the style,' seems apposite, desperately needed, and may not exist besides catered for in the secular funeral industry.
And of course this all provides a context for sharing faith—if done appropriately.
Although 1 part of a funeral service is to hold out before mourners, and particularly non-Christian mourners, the Christian hope of resurrection in Christ, to press for whatsoever kind of personal response to Christ on that occasion is unlikely to be helpful, and may be perceived as manipulative. But further down the line in that location can be dandy fruit for the gospel if bereaved people hear the good news of Christ once again, and are invited, for example, to the next Alpha or Pilgrim grade, or whatever your church does in the fashion of evangelism.
The middle department of the booklet explores the different elements of such a service, and deals with practical issues such equally timing, frequency, and the authoritative details of how to contact and stay in bear upon with the people who might be interested. John suggests the following shape for the service itself:
Gathering, acknowledging that we come as beau mourners, at differ- ent stages, but that we come into the presence of a compassionate God.
The Liturgy of the Word, where we appoint with Scripture and the gospel hope in Christ.
Prayers, focused primarily on united states of america and not the deceased people.
An Human action of Remembrance, with some kind of symbolic action and the reading of names of the deceased.
An ending, commending ourselves into God's care.
To this basic outline may be added other ingredients, such as canticles, affirmations of organized religion and the Lord'south Prayer to create a legal Service of the Word, and of course the use of some kind of music volition nearly certainly be appropriate.
Annotation how John attends both to the practical and pastoral needs in shaping the service—just also ensures that information technology will exist a service 'authorised by canon' (all clergy accept note!).
Overall, this written report is a great combination of pastoral concern with mission orientation, integrating theological bug with strategic thinking and practical detail. Here is i affair for every church to include in its portfolio of ways of engaging with the community as a way of sharing hope and faith.
Equally Christians we vest to i of the few groups confident with the whole area of death, dying and bereavement, and we also accept an added actress ingredient in the promise of new life in Christ, and of a new guild to come where expiry, mourning, crying and pain will no longer take whatsoever place. The fourth dimension is ripe for us to maximize our bear on on, and mission to, a confused and anxious society.
You tin social club John'due south booklet on the Grove website, post-free, and see all John'south xviii other booklets under the author details.
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