Appendix C
Dad’s Chosen Funeral Readings

Reading # 1
(From Psalms 46, 84, 90)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts!  My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.  Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.  They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.  Better is a day in thy courts than a thousand elsewhere.  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in thee!

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.  You turn man back to the dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”  For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.  You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning – though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.  The length of our days is 70 years, or 80, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass and we fly away.  Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Reading # 2
(Psalms 91, 96, 100, 145)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”  “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.  For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.  

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name.  For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.  They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.  They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.  Let every creature praise His Holy Name for ever and ever.

Reading # 3 – The Gospels
(Matthew 5, Matthew 24)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  
Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.  Two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 

Reading # 4
(I Peter 1 and Revelation 4, 5, 7, 22)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By His great mercy, we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you - who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.  They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.”  

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”  Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.  They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they sang:  “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”  

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:  “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.”  

“Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!”  

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.  On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.  And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  There will be no more night.  They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign for ever and ever.