Funeral Poem #7

Funeral Prayer #7 
On Death
Kahlil Gibran

You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Universal Life Church 

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The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

 

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Pagan Handfasting Ceremony

Handfasting Ritual with Six Cords

Know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real, the ideals which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage. 

With full awareness, know that within this circle you are not only declaring your intent to be handfasted before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to your creative higher powers.

The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.

Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?

Yes, We Seek to Enter.

In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigned virtues to the cardinal directions; East, South, West and North. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East. Communication of the heart, mind, and body Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South. Warmth of hearth and home The heat of the heart's passion The light created by both To lighten the darkest of times.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West. The deep commitments of the lake The swift excitement of the river The refreshing cleansing of the rain The all encompassing passion of the sea.

Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North Firm foundation on which to build Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives A stable home to which you may always return.

Each of these blessings from the four cardinal directions emphasizes those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union.

I bid you look into each others eyes.

[Groom's Name], Will you cause her pain?
I May (What was actually said was an emphatic yes)
Is that you intent?
No

[Bride's Name], Will you cause him pain?
I may
Is that you intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?
Yes

And so the binding is made. Join your hands
*First cord is draped across the bride and grooms hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you share his laughter?
Yes

[Groom's Name], Will you share her laughter?
Yes

*To Both*
Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Second chord is draped across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you burden him?
I may
Is that you intent?
No

[Groom's Name], Will you burden her?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Drape third chord across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], will you share his dreams?
Yes

[Groom's Name], will you share her dreams?
Yes

*To Both*
Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?
Yes

And so the binding is made.
*Drape fourth chord across the couples hands*

[Groom's Name], will you cause her anger?
I may
Is that you intent?
No

[Bride's Name], will you cause him anger?
I may
Is that your intent?
No

*To Both*
Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?
We Will

And so the binding is made.
*Drape fifth chord across the couples hands*

[Bride's Name], Will you honor him?
I will

[Groom's Name], Will you honor her?
I wil

l

*To Both*
Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?
We shall never do so

And so the binding is made.
*Drape sixth chord across the couples hands*

*Tie chords together while saying:*
The knots of this binding are not formed by these chords but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the chords, for as always, you hold in your own hands the making of breaking of this union.

*Once chords are tied together they are removed and placed on altar*

http://www.handfasting.info

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The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

 

Funeral Poem

Funeral Prayer #6 
Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Funeral Ceremony

Universal Life Church

Elizabeth Anne (Beth) Galloway Sanders      Jan 21 1953 - Mar 3 2005

performed by her step-son Rev. William C. Sanders, Minister ULC.

Friends, I welcome you today to a service of celebration as we reflect upon the life of Beth Galloway Sanders. We remember her as a kind and spiritual friend who loved and lived for jesus christ and for making others smile with faces full of joy. To my father, she was a loving wife and shared with him her beautiful spirit, kindness, and deepest love. others knew her as a loving family member and friend always ready and willing to show her love for us all. often for no other reason but to see us smile, and because quite simply thats just the way she liked it.

 Beth shared her heart and love with each of us in her own unique way. We all new beth in different ways but we all new her as a kind, giving and special person. We will all take with us our memories of Beth as it is her way of living on in our lives.

in Rev. 22 , the Lord speaks to us " I am the alpha and the Omega" "The beginning and the end". As we are born into a life with christ and he is there to accept us at the beginning, so to is christ there to accept us at the end of our lives and to lead us on to an eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. we have lost a dear friend, wife, and family member who will be truly missed, but let us remain joyful and find comfort in knowing that she has left us safely in the arms of her Lord Jesus Christ whom she loved so much, and through whom she became the loving Beth that we all knew.

Let us pray : Lord we give unto you our hearts and pray for your healing grace in our lives.we pray for the spirit of our loved one whom has passed on to your care. we thank you for the gift of having your faithful servant in our lives, as we ask for strength and comfort for the things which we do not understand. this we pray...Amen

Rev. William C. Sanders "Pastor Will" San Antonio, TX

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Funeral Ceremony - Suicide

This funeral ceremony was for young suicide.  It was co-celebrated by an ULC Minister and a Catholic Priest. The parents of the boy are long divorced and estranged.  It was very painful.  But everyone said that they were comforted by the service. FUNERAL SERVICE FOR JEREMY November 13, 2007     Opening   (ULC officiant)     To everything there is a season. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to reap; A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; A time for every purpose under Heaven.    Ecclesiates 3:1-8     We gather here today to say goodbye to Jeremy, our beloved and loving Son, Grandson, Brother, Cousin, Nephew and Friend. We come together to share our grief, love and compassion. With heavy hearts we understand that Jeremy had a disease, an addiction that took him from us. We seek his forgiveness for our failures and to forgive him for his weaknesses so we can focus on a path to celebration. A celebration of our Jeremy who touched and charmed everyone who knew him. We will miss Jeremy, who was wonderfully intelligent, loving and always brought his unique perspective to any topic of conversation. The Jeremy that loved to challenge conventional wisdom, and enjoyed reading Philosophy and was interested in ancient Civilizations and cultures. We will always remember Jeremy's quick wit and the gentle caring love he had for his pets, especially Rocky, his boyhood friend, and most recently Roxy. We will all miss our beloved Jeremy and are here to celebrate the boy and man who enriched all our lives.     PRAYER FROM CHURCH    (Father John) ……   Scripture recited by the congregation       The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pasture, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in the Paths of righteousness for his name sake.   Yea, though I walk through the valley of The shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou Are with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.   Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies, thou anoints my head with oil, my cup runs over.   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  23rd Psalm …..   Blessing of the Body       (Father John)   Music by Coldplay, "The Scientist" …..   Eulogy by the father   Where do I begin? I am not a writer. I am a father who has lost one of the most precious gifts god has ever given me. It seems like only a moment ago I was a child myself pushing the boundaries and limits my own parents tried to set for me. A moment has passed and now I stand here in a place I could never have imagined.  Jeremy my son so easy to love and yet at times he made it impossible to like him.  Jeremy was at times brilliant and beautiful, hateful and frustrating, funny and sarcastic.  He was hard on the people who loved him most.  Jeremy and I would say goodbye to each other on the phone when he was little, I would say I love you more than all the stars in the sky, he would say I love you more than all the sand on the beach, I would say all the leaves on the trees, this would continue for a short time until someone would declare a winner, usually (Jeremy).  Today I won't say goodbye because although the years will pass and I will struggle to take each breathe and live each day as if tomorrow may never come, it will only be a moment and I will be with you, my son.  I pray you are at peace and know how truly loved you are.  All the stars in the sky, all the sand on the beach.  It's a tie. Nobody won.   All My Heart         Your Dad …..   Poem read by the sister   When I come to the end of the road, and the sun has set for me I want no rites in a gloom-filled room, why cry for a soul set free? Miss me a little but not too long and not with your head bowed low. Remember the love that we once shared miss me but let me go. For this is a journey that we all must take and each must go alone. It's all a part of the Master's plan- a step on the road to home. When you are lonely and sick at heart, Go to the friends we know, And bury your sorrow in doing good deeds, Miss me, but let me go. …..       (ULC officiant)   It is painful and difficult and happy and joyous to let go and it is time.  Godspeed, dear boy, may flights of angels guide thee to thy rest.      …..   (Father John)   Let us all rise, join hands, and recite the Lord's Prayer. …..   (ULC officiate)   We offer the opportunity for those who chose to come forward to say goodbye. …..   Amazing Grace sung by a cousin …..   (Father John)   The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance Upon you And give you peace. Submitted by Rev. Tony Grimwade ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have many classes in Christianity, one about Wicca, several forms of Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.  You can  become an ordained minister, for free,  and for life, so use this Free Online Ordination, link. This  online seminary, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of minister supplies.    Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Funeral Prayer

Funeral Prayer #5 
The Tempest, III, iv We are such stuff as dreams are made on ...
William Shakespeare

Our revels are now ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air;
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded in a sleep. 

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar