Here is a simple graveside service.
This is a simple graveside committal service.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
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,
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.
We gather here today to lay to rest this body that has toiled through these last days, but lived a full life in the previous years, knowing that we commit to the earth only that which is of the earth. The Scriptures teach us that our bodies are made of the dust of the ground and to the dust of the ground we will return.
But we are more than dust, for when God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7 says, “…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
He breathed a spirit into these temporary bodies, and that is what lives on today. These bodies serve us only as the temporary dwelling place for our restless spirits.
II Corinthians 5:1-5 says, “1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
(Name) has laid aside her temporary house. It was made of this earth and to the earth it shall return. But (his/her) spirit lives on with eternal life.
And now (his/her) spirit is in the hands of the same loving God who tenderly cared for (his/her) in life. He also has provided life everlasting for those who will call upon His name.
The Bible promises that one day death will be no more. How we long for that day to come! Until then, may we live in anticipation of the time when we, too, shall lay aside the cares of this life, as (name) has, and take up the joys of eternal life.
James Weldon Johnson wrote these words that I would like to share with you this morning:
Weep not, weep not,
She is not dead;
She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.
Heart-broken husband—weep no more;
Grief stricken son—weep no more;
Left-lonesome daughter—weep no more;
She’s only just gone home…
Weep not—weep not,
She is not dead;
She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.
Our hearts still cling to this body because it is so difficult for us to disassociate it from the one who lived in it. But really it is just a worn out garment waiting to be cast aside. It is all together fitting and proper that we just now turn it over to the One who designed it for His will to be accomplished. We therefore commit this body to the ground and this soul to the Lord. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, knowing full well that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Prayer:
Almighty God, we gather beside this grave today to lay to rest the body of our friend and loved one, (name). We do so remembering another grave in another place—the tomb that received the body of our Lord Jesus. As Jesus came from the grave to live again, we know that all who die in Him shall never truly die. Thank you, Father, that (name) has finished the course, that (he/she) has kept the faith, and that (he/she) now has rest from her labors. As we commit (him/her) body to the ground, we do so in perfect trust, remembering Jesus’ victory over death and knowing, that because He lives, so too, shall we. Comfort our hearts through His words today; strengthen us now with His presence; and may Your grace and peace be ours both now and forever.
In Jesus’ name,
AMEN.
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