Choosing the Right Reading
Picking readings for a funeral can sometimes be a little tricky. A lot will depend on the loved one’s faith journey, and life story. If they had an active Christian faith, then the readings would usually come from the Bible, and would be chosen to speak of both the hope of heaven, and the comfort God offers to mourning people.
Where the person was not actively involved there might still be comfort to be found in the Bible, but we might also look at poems of other readings that speak about the value of each individual life.
So, here we’re going to look at some suggestions for both.
Helpful Bible Readings
John chapter 14 verses 1-7 records Jesus comforting His disciples as they prepare for His death.
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
In Romans Chapter 8 verses 31-39, we read St Paul encouraging the early church that was facing great persecution, that God’s love is greater than all things, including even death. We might omit verse 36, as it’s speaking to a specific situation the church in Rome was facing.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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.
Then in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13-18 Paul writes to the church in where we in the modern day call Thessaloniki, and gives instructions about what happens to those who die, including a comforting image of them being asleep.
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 left 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 forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Finally, a Bible passage that might be helpful regardless of the deceased person’s faith journey, and has been immortalised in the song made famous by The Byrds in their song Turn! Turn! Turn!
It comes from what Christians call the Old Testament, or what Jewish believers call the Tanakh, in the book called Ecclesiastes (or Kohelet). Chapter 3 verses 1-8
1 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.
I’m going to write a follow up post soon with readings suitable for a service where the deceased had no active involvement in a faith.
