A funeral is used to mark the end of a person’s life here on earth. Family and friends come together to express grief, give thanks for the life lived and commend the person into God’s hands. These can be a small, quiet ceremony or a large occasion in a packed church.
Everyone is entitled to either a burial service (funeral) or to have their ashes buried in the churchyard of the parish in which they reside by their local parish priest regardless of whether they attended church or not.
If you would like help in planning a funeral, or just want to talk through any of the issues related to having a funeral at St. Peter’s Church (or the church in Aldford or Bruera), then we would be delighted to help in any way we can. Please contact Jules, the Rector, on 01244 336668, or email him on jules@stpeterswaverton.org.uk.
Let me recommend some books that might be of help to those facing such times.
The first is called See you soon by Philippa Skinner. Graeme and Philippa lost their son Jim in 2007 to a drug overdose. As well as coping with the loss of their son they also had to deal with the sense of failure they felt as parents, and the loneliness, the shame and stigma connected with a death from drugs. Click on the picture to go to their website.
The second is a book called At a Time Like This. This book offers some answers for loss and grief. Adapted from his vast experience of delivering sermons at funerals, Simon Manchester has written this short booklet for those whose grief may have caused them to think about what is beyond this life. At a Time Like This tells of the only expert on life and death who has come back from the grave and told us what it’s like: Jesus Christ. This short booklet tells why we should come to Jesus for truth, meaning and real comfort. It also includes Christian answers to common questions about grief.
Thirdly, On my way to heaven. Is it really possible to face the final stages of our earthly lives with confidence and without fear? Mark Ashton describes his own experience of imminent death from inoperable cancer. Real confidence, he explains, is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ – an event which, even though it happened 2,000 years ago, has profound implications for us today.
