Readings

Old & New Testament Readings

Choose one or two scripture readings (Bible readings) to be read during the funeral ceremony.

A reading from the prophet Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food. On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so. That day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us.

The Word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God

A reading from the book of Wisdom 3:1-6,9

The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, no torment shall ever touch them. In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die, their going looked like a disaster, their leaving us, like annihilation; but they are in peace. If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be. God has put them to the test and proved them worthy to be with him; he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust. They who trust in Him will understand the truth, those who are faithful will live with Him in love, for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.

The Word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God

A reading from the book of Wisdom 4:7-15

The virtuous man, though he die before his time, will find rest. Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life; understanding, this is man’s grey hairs, untarnished life, this is ripe old age. He has sought to please God, so God has loved him; as he was living among sinners, he has been taken up. He has been carried off so that evil may not warp his understanding or treachery seduce his soul; for the fascination of evil throws good things into the shade, and the whirlwind of desire corrupts a simple heart. Coming to perfection in so short a while, he achieved long life; his soul being pleasing to the Lord, he has taken him quickly from the wickedness around him. Yet people look on, uncomprehending; it does not enter their heads that grace and mercy await the chosen of the Lord, and protection, his holy ones.

The Word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God

A Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven:

A time for giving birth, a time for dying;
A time for planting, a time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing, a time for healing;
A time for knocking down, a time for building.
A time for tears, a time for laughter;
A time for mourning, a time for dancing.
A time for throwing stones away, a time for gathering them up;
A time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching, a time for losing;
A time for keeping, a time for throwing away.
A time for tearing, a time for sewing;
A time for keeping silent, a time for speaking.
A time for loving, a time for hating;
A time for war, a time for peace.

What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.

The Word of the Lord. ALL:Thanks be to God

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 13:4-8,13

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; Love is never boastful or conceited; It is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful.

Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end. In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

The Word of the Lord. ALL:Thanks be to God

A reading from the Second Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 4:14-5:1

We know that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.
That is why there is no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer man of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is renewed day by day. Yes, the troubles which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them. And so we have no eyes for the things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible; for visible things last only for a time, and the invisible things are eternal.

For we know that when the tent we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens.

The Word of the Lord ALL: Thanks be to God

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans 6:3-9

When we were baptised in Christ Jesus we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realise that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. When a man dies, of course, he has finished with sin. But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more.

The Word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans 14:7-12

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as Scripture says: By my life—it is the Lord who speaks—every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.

The Word of the Lord ALL: Thanks be to God

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy 4:6-8

As for me, my life is already being poured away, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith. All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.

The word of the Lord. ALL: Thanks be to God

The material on this website is used with permission from Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd, London and this does not constitute permission for the readers of this website to use it.