Leader:  May the God of hope give you the fullness of peace and may the Father of mercies be with all of  you.

Opening Song:  Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see!

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

My brothers and sisters in the Lord, we believe that all the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one throughout our lives do not unravel with death. Confident that God always remembers the good we have done and forgives our sins, let us pray, asking God to gather ( name ) to himself.

(pause for silent prayer for the deceased)

Let us pray.

Loving Father in heaven in whom all find refuge, we appeal to your boundless mercy: grant to the soul of your servant(s) a kindly welcome, cleansing of sin, release from the chains of death, and entry into everlasting life.  Open our hearts to your word, so that listening to it we may comfort one another, finding light in time of darkness and faith in time of doubt.  We pray in the name of God the Father of all mankind.  Amen.

A reading from the Book of Lamentations.
My soul is deprived of peace
I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost,
all that I hoped for from the Lord.

The thought of my homeless poverty
is wormwood and gall;
Remembering it over and over
leaves my soul downcast within me.

But I will call this to mind,
as my reason to have hope:
The favors of the Lord are not exhausted,
his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning,
so great is his faithfulness.

My portion is the Lord, says my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
Good is the Lord to the one who waits for him,
to the soul that seeks him;
It is good to hope in silence
for the saving help of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.  (R)  Thanks be to God.

Response:  I believe I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?  R/

One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple.  R/

Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Your presence, O Lord, I seek.
Hide not your face from me.  R/

I believe I shall see the  bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.   R/

  -- or  --

Response:  The Consolation of Faith

Leader:  Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice.  (Isaiah 41:10)

All:  Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. (Psalm 116:15)

Leader:  For I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand;  it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you."  (Isaiah 41:13)

All: Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.

Leader: I have brushed away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like a mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. (Isaiah 44:22)

All:  Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.

Leader:  Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?  Even should she forget, I will never forget you.  See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name.  (Isaiah 49: 15)

All: Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.

Leader:  Yes, in joy you shall depart, in peace you shall be brought back.  (Isaiah 55:12)

All:  Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful.

A Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes
There is an appointed time for everything and a time for every affair under the heavens.  A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant .  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.  A time to weep,and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a  time to dance.  A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.  A time to seek, and a  time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.  

The Word of the Lord.  (R):  Thanks be to God

   -  or  -

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians   4:13-18
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be unaware about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  Thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, console one another with these words.

The Word of the Lord.   R/ Thanks be to God.

Sermon/Homily
Let us ask our Father to forgive our sins and bring us to forgive those who have sinned against us:  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by their name.  Thy kingdom come, they 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 the kingdom , the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.   Amen.

A Happy Ending
When the show on earth is over
And the Master says "time to go
The angels here in heaven
Are waiting for your show,"
We must go on as He beckons,
We must quickly slough and fly
For He knows our show is needed
For His children in the sky.

Yes, there'll be carnivals in heaven,
With bright lights and fun galore.
And the organ will sound sweeter
Than you've ever heard before.
There'll be Eli wheels and scramblers
Merry go Rounds for wee ones too
God, Himself, the supervisor,
And we Carny folks the crew.

The angels on the "Jinny" ride
Playing music pure and sweet
For the cherubs on the horses
Galloping round on wooden feet.
There'll be popcorn and cotton candy,
With just a deeper pink,
Perhaps a little sweeter
Since it's made in heaven don't your think?

The "jump" from earth to heaven
Will be the grandest one of all,
Without a single breakdown,
With no truck motor to stall.
So let's make the show a good one,
While here on earth we dwell,
So when we set it up in heaven,
God will say: "A job done well."      A. Kolin

Concluding Prayer
Let us pray.  Loving Father in heaven, we entrust our brother (sister) to your mercy.  You loved him (her) greatly in this life: now that he (she) is freed from all its cares, give him (her) happiness and peace forever.  The old order has passed away:  welcome him (her) now into paradise where there will be no more sorrow, no more weeping, no more pain, but only peace and joy with Jesus, your Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.    All:  Amen.

Leader:  May the Lord bless you and keep you!  May the Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!  May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!  (Nm 6: 24-26)

Concluding  Song.  Verses 4 & 5  Amazing Grace

Through many dangers toils and snares,
I have already come.
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.