The following is the funeral order from the Evangelical and Reformed Church.
These items can be changed and moved as desired by the family. Different family members may like to read from scripture, speak about the deceased, or read the obituary.
Sanctuary
Hymn
Invocation
Psalm
Hymn
Scripture
Sermon or Address
Prayer
Benediction
Graveside
Scripture
Committal
Prayer
Benediction
¶ The Service may begin with a Hymn, after which the minister shall say,
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
¶ Then the Minister shall read the following Sentences of Scripture:
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
And now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
¶ Then one or more of the following Psalms shall be read:
Psalm 23, Psalm 90:1-6, 14-17, Psalm 103:8-18, Psalm 130, Psalm 121, Psalm 39, Psalm 46, Psalm 116, Psalm 139
¶ Then a Hymn or Anthem may be sung.
¶ Then one or more of the following Lessons shall be read:
John 14:1-3, 15-16, 25-27
Romans 8:16-18, 28, 31-35, 37-39
I Corinthians 15:20-22, 49, 50, 53-58
Revelation 21:1-4
Isaiah 58:4-6
Isaiah 54:7-10
Matthew 11:28-80
John 5:24-29
Romans 5:1-10
Revelation 7:9-17
¶ Here a Sermon or an Address may be delivered.
¶ Then, one or more of the following Prayers shall be offered.
For Submission to God
Almighty and Everlasting God, our heavenly Father, who art the author and disposer of our lives, from whom our spirits have come, and to whom they shall return; we acknowledge your sovereign power and right both to give and to take away, as seemeth good in your sight; and we most humbly beseech you that to all your righteous dealings we may yield ourselves with due resignation and patience, being assured that though we understand not the mystery of your ways, yet always in faithfulness, O Lord, dost thou afflict us, and for your mercy’s sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thankfulness for Good Example
O Eternal God, with whom do live the spirits of those who depart hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity; we give you hearty thanks for the good examples of all those your servants, who, having finished their course in faith, do now rest from their labors; and we beseech you, that we, with all those who are departed in the true faith of your holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in your eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Divine Support
LORD, support us all the day long of this troublesome life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then of your tender mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ Then the Minister and the Congregation shall say the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
¶ The Minister shall say,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Unto the mercy of Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we commend the soul of our brother departed, and commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal ife; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.”
Let us pray.
Almighty God, who by the death of thy Son, Jesus Christ, hast destroyed death: by his rest in the tomb hast sanctified the graves of the saints; and by his glorious resurrection hast brought life and immortality to light, so that all who die in him abide in peace and hope; receive, we beseech thee, our unfeigned thanks for that victory over death and the grave which he has obtained for us and for all who sleep in him; and keep us who are still in the body, in everlasting fellowship with all that wait for thee on earth, and all that are around thee in heaven, in union with him who is the Resurrection and the Life, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.