I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
- John 11:25-26
When a member of our Church family dies, the clergy and congregation should be notified as soon as possible so we can offer support and assist in the planning of arrangements, including a service.
Among the most beautiful liturgies in The Book of Common Prayer is the service for the Burial of the Dead. These are Easter liturgies because, even in our grief, we find our hope and meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we too, shall be raised. That is why these liturgies are characterized by joy, in the certainty that, “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This joy does not make human grief unchristian. The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. While we rejoice that the one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn.