IN SURE AND CERTAIN HOPE

Paperback

This book is offered as a resource for those taking services connected with death and dying, those who offer pastoral care to the bereaved, and all who are asked to help plan a funeral or memorial service. It may be used in its own right or as a supplement to the authorized liturgies of the various Christian churches.

In Sure and Certain Hope provides a range of liturgies, from simple rites to formal orders of service for use in church, for each stage of a process that is both universal and unique for every individual:
- a simple rite at the time of death
- a ceremony for receiving a body into church
- prayers and readings before leaving home for a funeral
- an order of service for a funeral in church
- an order of service for a funeral at a cemetery or crematorium
- alternative Bible readings, printed out in full
- alternative prayers and readings for differing circumstances of death- prayers for returning home after a funeral
- a memorial service
- a commemoration for All Soul's Day
- a remembrance for the anniversary of a death
- an affirmation of the living

In Sure and Certain Hope also includes a short selection of readings from literature and poetry on the themes of death, loss and enduring love. They are chosen for their resonance with the Christian hope of eternal life and may help family and friends to find a reading appropriate for their own circumstances. For clergy and others who minister at such an intensely painful time, theological reflection is included on the primary Christian understanding that underpins the Church's ministry to the dying and the bereaved.