Funeral For A “Spiritual Person” (This person had not made a public profession of faith.
Let Us Pray: Gracious and Eternal God,
We give You thanks today for the life of _____________________________________.
We are grateful for the years You gave him on this earth,
for the love he shared with his family,
for the skills he used with his hands,
for his service to this community and nation,
and for the quiet joy he found in Your creation.
We thank You, Lord, that he was a spiritual man,
and that now his journey is complete.
Comfort those who mourn his passing—his daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren,
and all who loved him.
Surround them with Your peace that passes understanding.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
Death always reminds us of our own frailty,
and grief reminds us of how deeply we love.
Today we celebrate the life of _________________________________________.
A devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, veteran, and friend.
His passing leaves a hole in our hearts,
but his life leaves us with memories worth cherishing and stories worth telling.
Scripture Reading – Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Many times funerals, will focus on verse 4:
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
That verse does comfort us,
That verse reminds us that even in our darkest valleys, we are not alone.
But today, I want us to shift our eyes toward the end of the psalm—verse 6:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
That verse does three things for us today:
1. It reminds us that God is good and God is merciful.
David doesn’t say maybe the Lord is good and merciful
or hopefully the Lord is good and merciful
he says surely the Lord is good and merciful
certainly, the Lord is good and merciful
There is no doubt that the Lord is good and merciful
When we look at __________________________________ life, we can see
(Name life accomplishments of the decedent)
• He proudly served his country in the Navy.
• He worked the factory in the maintenance department
• He faithfully providing for his family.
• He loved fishing, the outdoors, and fixing things with his own hands.
• Above all, he loved his family.
• Married to his wife, _________________________________, for 60 years,
• they built a life together that produced daughters, grandchildren, and countless memories of love.
_________________________________’s family is God’s goodness.
Each child was a gift of goodness from God
Every grandchild you are a gift from God
Every family member, every friend you are a gift of God’s goodness in ____________________’s life
2. It reminds us that Mercy matters.
When the psalmist says “all the days of my life,”
we are reminded that our days are numbered.
Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Life is precious because it is limited.
_______________________________ lived 90 years, and we thank God for each one, but even 90 years pass quickly in this world.
When we realize our days are numbered, we live each with more purpose,
we cherish family,
we think more about spiritual things.
When we speak of _________________________________________, being a spiritual person.
Being “spiritual” doesn’t mean being perfect
—it means being aware that there is a God
I first met ___________________________________.
(Tell a story or share a memory about the decedent.)
I have been privileged to be in their home visiting different times.
__________________________________ was a private person
That is true of a lot of men
And even more true of people who are Veteran’s
There are multiple books that Pastors and Chaplains study on how to minister to Veterans
There is famous quote in the book To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus Finch: You never really understand a person
Until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
God doesn’t just look down on us from heaven
God “took on flesh” (John 1:14).
Through Jesus God climbed into our skin and walked among us.
God is with us in the light and the darkness
God is with us when we are surrounded by our enemies
God is with us in the valley of the Shadow of death
That is where mercy walks in.
____________________________’s understanding of Mercy gave shape to his character and direction to his days. And now, the God of Mercy holds ________________________in eternity.
3. That points us toward hope.
The psalm ends not with a valley but with a home: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
For us, this is a reminder that life is bigger than what we see.
Death cannot erase the goodness and love ____________________ lived and show in his life.
We take hope in knowing that love is stronger than death,
and that ___________________’s story continues on in us—in our laughter, in our tears, in our memories, and our lives.
Words of Remembrance
So today, even as we grieve, we give thanks:
• We thank God for _________________________’s life and the love he shared.
• We thank his family for the way they shared him with us.
• And we remind ourselves that the best way to honor him
• is to let the goodness and mercy continue through us
• —by living with devotion, by cherishing family, and by embracing each day as a gift.
Surely, goodness and mercy did follow _______________________ all the days of his life.
And surely, love will carry his story forward in each one of us.
Transition to Committal
Now we accompany _____________________________________ one last time to his place of rest,
______________________________:
• Served his service to his country.
• In his years of faithful work.
• In his love for the outdoors and the satisfaction of working with his hands.
• Most of all, in his 60 years devotion to his wife, his daughters, his grandchildren,
• his sister, and to all who knew him.
That goodness and mercy live on in us.
Prayer of Committal
Almighty and Merciful God,
we entrust body of _________________________________,
into Your everlasting care.
As we lay ________________________ to rest, his spirit we entrust into your hands
Remembering the words that Jesus said on the cross:
“Father, forgive them.”
In that prayer, we see the depth of Your mercy,
a mercy wide enough to cover our sins,
to bring us peace, and to grant us eternal life.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust—
Amen.
