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RELIGIOUS
AND SPIRITUAL VERSE
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 for ever.
Amen
The Lords Prayer
Our Father
who art in heaven
Hallowed be
thy name
Thy Kingdom
Come
Thy will be
done
On Earth as
it is in Heaven
Give us this
day
Our daily
bread
And forgive
us our trespasses
As we forgive
those
Who trespass
against us
Lead us not
into temptation
But deliver
us from evil
For thine is
the kingdom,
The power and
the glory
Forever and
ever
Amen.
Corinthians…
Love is patient, love
is kind and envies no-one,
Love is never boastful,
nor conceited, nor rude,
Never selfish, nor quick
to take offence,
Love keeps no score of
wrongs
Does not gloat over the
sins of others
But delights in the
truth.
There is nothing love
cannot face
There is no limit to
it’s faith, it’s hopes and it’s endurance
Love will never come to
an end in a word,
There are three things
that last forever
Faith, hope and love
But the greatest of them
all is love.
My sheep
hear my voice
And I know
them
And they
follow me
And I give
them eternal life,
And they
shall never perish
And no one
shall snatch them
Out of my
hand.
John 10: 27 &
A Scottish Blessing
May the
blessing of light be on you,
Light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat
fire,
So that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at
it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you,
Like a candle set in the window of a house,
Bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you,
May it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean,
And leave there a shining pool
Where the blue of Heaven shines,
And sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you,
Soft under your feet as you pass along the roads,
Soft under you as you lie out on it,
Tired at the end of day;
And may it rest easy over you when,
At last, you lie out under it.
May it rest so lightly over you
That your soul may be out from under it quickly;
Up and off and on its way to God.
author
unknown
A Prayer for Today
Every day I
need Thee, Lord
But this day
especially
I need some
extra strength
To face
whatever is to be.
This day more
than any day
I need to
feel Thee near
To fortify my
courage
And over come
my fear
By myself I
cannot meet
The challenge
of the hour.
There are
times when
Human
creatures need
A higher
power to help them
Bear - what
must be borne
And so, dear
Lord, I pray
Hold on to
mine, my daughters
My family and
my grandkids
Trembling
hands
And be with
us here today.
Amen.
From The Rubaiyat of
Omar Khayam, an astronomer-poet of early 12TH
century Persia.
The first verse is:
The Moving Finger
writes; and having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy
Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to
cancel half a line,
Nor all thy Tears wash
out a Word of it.
The second verse is:
Ah Love! Could thou and
I with Fate conspire
To grasp this sorry
Scheme of Things entire,
Would not we shatter it
to bits – and then
Re-mould it nearer to
the Heart’s Desire!
Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to
meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon your fields
We’ll be thinking of you
Gone Home
God looked
around his garden
And found an
empty space.
He looked
down upon the earth
And saw your
tired face,
He put his
arms around you
And lifted
you to rest.
God’s garden
must be beautiful
For he only
takes the best.
He knows you
were in pain,
He knew that
you would never
Be well on
earth again.
He saw the
road was getting rough,
And the hills
were hard to climb;
So he closed
your weary eyelids
And
whispered, “Peace be thine.”
Author unknown
Silent Tear
Each night we shed a
silent tear
As we speak to you in
prayer
To let you know we love
you
And just how much we
care
Take our million
teardrops
Wrap them up in love
Then ask the wind to
carry them
To you in heaven above.
Author
unknown
The
Cross in My Pocket
I carry
a cross in my pocket
A
simple reminder to me
Of the
fact that I am a Christian
No
matter where I may be.
This
little cross is not magic
Nor is
it a good luck charm
It
isn’t meant to protect me
From
every physical harm.
It’s
not for identification
For all
the world to see
It’s
simply an understanding
Between
my savior and me.
When I
put my hand in my pocket
To
bring out a coin or a key
The
cross is there to remind me
Of the
price He paid for me.
It
reminds me, too, to be thankful
For my
blessings day by day
And to
strive to serve Him better
In all
that I do and say.
It’s
also a daily reminder
Of the
peace and comfort I share
With
all who know my Master
And
give themselves to His care.
So, I
carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding no-one but me
That
Jesus Christ is Lord of my life
If only
I’ll let him be.
Anon
Adieu and Au Revoir
As you love me, let
there be no mourning when I go,-
No tearful eyes, no
hopeless sighs,
No woe,-nor even
sadness!
Indeed I would not have
you sad, for I myself shall be glad,
With the high triumphant
gladness of a soul made free
Of God’s sweet liberty.
-No windows darkened;
for my own
Will be flung wide as
ne’er before, to catch the radiant inpour
Of love that shall be in
full atone
For all the ills that I
have done; and the good things left undone;
-no voices hushed; my
own, full flushed
With an immortal hope,
will rise in ecstasies of new born bliss
And joyful melodies.
Rather of your sweet
courtesy, rejoice with me
At my soul’s loosing
from captivity.
Wish me ‘Bon Voyage!’ as
you do a friend
Whose joyous visit finds
its happy end.
And bid me both ‘a Dieu’
and ‘Au Revoir’
Since though I come no
more,
I shall be waiting there
to greet you.
At His door.
John
Oxenham
Poem of Life
Life is but a
stopping place
A pause in
what’s to be
A resting
place along the road
To sweet
eternity
We all have
different journeys
Different
paths along the way
We all are
meant to learn some things
But never
meant to stay…
Our
destination is a place
Far greater
than we know
For some the
journey’s quicker
For some the
journey’s slow
And when
finally the journey ends
We’ll claim a
great reward
And find and
everlasting peace
Together with
the Lord.
Author unknown
Serenity Prayer
God grant me
the serenity
To accept the
things I
Cannot change
The courage
to change
The things I
can
And the
wisdom to know
The difference
Anon
No
More
There is no time that we
could set
For parting…
We who must remain
Are never ready for such
pain.
Ever our prayer would be
“Not Yet!”
Not yet, dear Lord.
Another day,
Let us with our beloved
stay
We must believe when
falls the blow
That wisely, God, has
willed it so.
It is beyond belief that
you are gone,
That all our shared and
doubled life is done
Now ashes in the wind,
No more your voice
Answers the telephone
No more your face
At the opening of the
door
Those words…
No More.
Author
unknown
Wings of the Angels
A gentle
wind blew cross the land
Reaching out to take a hand
For on the winds the angels came
Calling out a mother's name.
Left behind, the children's tears
Loving memories of the years
Of joy and love, a life well spent
And now to God a mother's sent.
On angel's wings,
a heavenly flight
The journey home, towards the light
To those who weep, a life is gone
But in God's love, 'tis but the dawn.
Author
unknown
The
Rose Beyond The Wall
A rose once grew where
all could see,
Sheltered beside a
garden wall,
And as the days passed
swiftly by,
It spread its branches,
straight and tall…
One day, a beam of light
shone through
A crevice that had
opened wide.
The rose bent gently
towards its warmth
Then passed beyond to
the other side…
Now, you who deeply feel
its loss,
Be comforted…
the rose blooms there,
Its beauty even greater
now,
Nurtured by
God’s own loving care.
Author
unknown
If
Tomorrow Comes
If tomorrow starts
without me
And I’m not there to see
If the sun should rise
and find
Your eyes all filled
with tears for me.
I wish so much you
wouldn’t cry
The way you did today
While thinking of the
many things
We didn’t get to say.
I know how much you
loved me
As much as I love you
And each time you think
of me
I know you’ll miss me
too.
But when tomorrow starts
without me
Please try to understand
That an angel came and
called my name
And took me by the hand
And said my place was
ready
In heaven far above
And that I would have to
leave behind
All those I dearly love.
But as I turned and
walked away
A tear fell from my eye
For all my life I’d
always thought
I didn’t want to die.
I had so much to live
for
So much yet to do
It seemed almost
impossible
That I was leaving you.
I thought of all the
yesterdays
The good times and the
bad
The thought of all the
love we shared
And all the fun we had.
If I could relive
yesterday
Just even for a while
I’d say goodbye and kiss
you
And maybe see you smile
But then I fully
realised
That this could never be
For emptiness and
memories
Would take the place of
me.
And when I thought of
worldly things
I might miss come
tomorrow
I thought of you and
when I did
My heart was filled
with sorrow.
So when tomorrow starts
without me
Don’t think we’re far
apart
For every time you think
of me
I’m right here in your
heart.
Author unknown
(circa 9,11)
Stairway to Heaven
Blowing kisses to Heaven
That’s what I can do
Every time I want to say
How much “I love you”
Blowing kisses to Heaven
I know that you love me
I am so blessed and so
thankful
That God sent you to our
family.
Everyone that met you
Claimed you as their own
Gentle, caring, so
giving, so kind
A truest gift, wrapped
from God’s heart to mine.
Now you are receiving
Blessings so deserved
And every time I think
of you
I’ll blow kisses to
Heaven
From my heart to yours.
Author
unknown
Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a
dream.
He dreamed he was walking
Along the beach with the Lord.
Scenes from his life flashed across the sky
And he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him
And the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,
he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times
of his life there was only one set of footprints.
Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided
to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child.
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering
when you saw only one set of footprints..
.
That was when I carried you."
Author
unknown
“THERE’S ALWAYS ANOTHER
TOMORROW, HOWEVER DARK THE DAY,
THERE’S ALWAYS AN END TO
SORROW, TIME WIPES OUR TEARS AWAY,
THERE’S ALWAYS A REASON
FOR LIVING THOUGH SAD YOUR HEART MAY BE,
THERE’S ALWAYS
ANOTHER HORIZON BEYOND THE ONE YOU SEE”
May You support me all
the day long
Till the shades lengthen
and the evening comes
And the busy world is
hushed
And the fever of life is
over
And my work is done.
Then in Your mercy
May you give me
A safe lodging
And a holy rest
And peace at the last.
Amen
(adapted – Cardinal
Newman)
A
Blessing For Absence
May you know
that absence is full of tender presence
And that
nothing is ever lost or forgotten.
May the
absences in your life be full of eternal echo.
May you sense
around you the secret
Elsewhere
which holds the
Presences
that have left your life.
May you be
generous in your embrace of loss.
May the sore
of your grief turn into
A well of
seamless presence.
May your
compassion reach out to the ones
We never hear
from and may you have the
Courage to
speak out for the excluded ones.
May you
become the gracious
And
passionate subject of your own life.
May you not
disrespect your mystery
Through
brittle words or false belonging.
May you be
embraced by God in whom
Dawn and
twilight are one and may your
Longing
inhabit its deepest dreams
Within the
shelter of the Great Belonging.
John O'Donohue
Butterfly Wings
Like a butterfly emerges
And unfolds its graceful
wings,
A child grows and
develops
With the love a mother
brings.
I’m thankful for the
times
When you encouraged me
to try,
For God gave me my
wings,
But Mum, you taught me
how to fly.
Robin
Fogle
The
Bridge Beyond
There is a bridge that
leads beyond
The world of time and
space.
Through a green and
peaceful valley
To a lovely dwelling
place.
Where our loved ones
find true happiness
And joys which never
end.
Across the bridge that
leads beyond
The peaceful valley’s
bend.
Author
Unknown
God’s love in action
A mum is
God’s love in action
She looks
with her heart
And feels
with her eyes
A mum is the
bank
Where
children deposit
All their
worries and hurt
A mum is the
cement
That holds
her family together
And her love
lasts a lifetime.
Author unknown
Old
Irish Blessing
May the
road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
When You See
When you
see birds on the wing
Know that
my spirit soars with them
In
graceful compliment to their flight.
When you
see a special smile
Realise
that I still smile with you
For all
the wonderful times we shared.
When you
hear roaring laughter
Think of
all the funny things
That could
never happen to anyone else but me.
When you
hear a lovely song
Think of
music, gatherings, holidays and parties,
The
memories that can never be silenced.
When you
hug someone gently
Remember
my touch
And know
that I am hugging you
And
keeping you close.
When you
see a rainbow
And the
sun shining through the raindrops
Remember
the promises of God
And be
assured
I am at
peace and in His presence.
Lucy Linder
FOOTSTEPS OF ANGELS
When the hours of Day
are numbered,
And the voices of the
night
Wake the better soul,
that slumbered,
To a holy, calm delight;
Ere the evening lamps
are lighted,
And like phantoms grim
and tall,
Shadows from the fitful
firelight
Dance upon the parlour
wall;
Then the forms of the
departed
Enter at the open door;
The beloved, the
true-hearted,
Come to visit me once
more;
He, the young and
strong, who cherished
Noble longings for the
strife,
By the roadside fell and
perished,
Weary with the march of
life!
They, the holy ones and
weakly,
Who the cross of
suffering bore,
Folded their pale hands
so meekly,
Spake with us on earth
no more!
And with them the Being
Beauteous,
Who unto my youth was
given,
More than all things
else to love me,
And is now a saint in
heaven.
With a slow and
noiseless footstep
Comes that messenger
divine,
Takes the vacant chair
beside me,
Lays her gentle hand in
mine.
And she sits and gazes
at me
\With those deep and
gentle eyes,
Like the stars, so still
and saint-like,
Looking downward from
the skies.
Uttered not, yet
comprehended,
Is the spirit’s
voiceless prayer,
Soft rebukes, in
blessings ended,
Breathing from her lips
of air.
O, though oft depressed
and lonely,
All my fears are laid
aside,
If I but remember only
Such as these have lived
and died!
Longfellow
I’m
Free
Don’t grieve for me, for
now I’m free
I’m following the path
God laid for me
I took God’s hand when I
heard the call
I turned my back and
left it all.
I could not stay another
day
To laugh, to love, to
work or play
Tasks left undone must
stay that way
I found that place at
the close of day.
If my parting has left a
void
Then fill it with
remembered joy
A friendship shared, a
laugh, a kiss
Ah yes, these things, I
too will miss.
Be not burdened with
times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine
of tomorrow
My life’s been full, I
savoured much
Good friend’s good
times, a loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my life seemed
all too brief
Don’t lengthen it now
with undue grief,
Lift up your heart and
share with me
God wanted me now, God
set me free.
Author
unknown
Finding Your Heart
Do not be afraid
For even now God knows
the
Yearnings of your heart
And is sending you
His answers to your
prayers
Be patient – you are not
alone.
For the Lord will hold
You in his hands
And protect you
He sends his angels
Until such time
Your purpose is revealed
to you.
Though you may not know
The ways of your journey
He is guiding you
With his gentle touch
Author
unknown
To
Those I Love
If I should ever leave
you whom I love
To go along the silent
way
Grieve not,
Nor speak of me with
tears,
But laugh and talk
Of me as if I was beside
you there.
(I’d come – I’d come,
could I but find a way!
But would not tears and
grief be barriers?)
And when you hear a song
or
See a bird I loved,
Please do not let the
thought of me be sad…
For I am loving you just
as I always have…
You were so good to me!
There are so many things
I wanted still
To do…
So many things to say to
you…
Remember that I did not
fear…
It was just leaving you
that was so hard to face…
We cannot see beyond…
But this I know
I loved you so…
‘Twas heaven here with
you!
Author
unknown
Soul’s Whisper
Oft in quiet moments
My soul it speaks to me
I am filled with deep
emotion
That sets my being free
So vivid are the images
Of life that come to me
So real the tremblings
in my soul
Reveal how life could
be,
If one could but capture
These moments, so divine
How precious would life
be
Your soul, with God,
entwined!
Author
unknown
It’s Hard to See Tomorrow
It’s hard
to see tomorrow
When
someone you love is gone
And it’s
harder still to realise
That your
own life must go on
But the
Lord won’t give you burdens
Which He
knows you cannot bear,
And he
will not leave you comfortless…..
You’ll
always find Him there.
We’re all
our Fathers children
Here on
earth and up above
And your
loved one is now walking
Close to
God, surrounded by his love
Author Unknown
High Flight
Oh, I have
slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced
the skies on laughter silvered wings
Sunward
I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun
split clouds—and done a hundred things
You have
not dreamed of; wheeled and soared and swung
High in
the sunlit silence. Hovering there
I’ve
chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager
craft through footless halls of air;
Up, up the
long delirious burning blue
I’ve
topped the windswept heights with easy grace,
Where
never lark nor even eagle flew;
And while,
with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high,
un-trespassed sanctity of space
Put out my
hand and touched the face of God.
Flight Officer John Gillespie McGee
Written Especially For You Mum
Play joyfully in the
gardens of creation
Our precious Mum.
Rest peacefully while the sun nourishes
And revitalizes your soul.
May the beauty and fragrance of the
Flowers overwhelm your senses
And the birds lull you with your
Favourite song.
Until the soft winds whisper
It’s time to journey on…
And on...and on
Author
unknown
When we
walk to the edge of all the light we have
And take a
step into the darkness of the unknown,
We must
believe one of two things will happen —
There will
be something solid for us to stand upon,
Or we will
be taught to fly.
Anon
Safely Home
I am home in Heaven, dear ones
Oh so happy and so bright
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light
All the grief and pain are over
Every restless tossing passed
I am now at peace forever
Safely home in Heaven at last
Did you wonder how I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Ah but the love of God illumined
Every dark and fearful glade
And He came Himself to meet me
In the way so hard to tread
And with His arm to lean on
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely
For I love you dearly still
Try to look beyond Earth's shadows
Pray to trust our Father's will
There is work still waiting for you
So you must not idly stand
Do it now while life remaineth
You shall rest in our Father's land
When the work is all completed
He will gently call you home
Oh the rapture of that meeting
Oh the joy to see you come!
Author unknown
My First Christmas In Heaven
I see the
countless Christmas trees
Around the
world below
With tiny
lights like Heaven’s stars
Reflecting
on the snow.
The sight
is so spectacular,
Please
wipe away the tear
For I am
spending Christmas with
Jesus
Christ this year.
I hear the
many Christmas songs
That
people hold so dear
But the
sounds of music can’t compare
With the
Christmas choir up here.
I have no
words to tell you
The joy
their voices bring.
For it is
beyond description,
To hear
the angels sing.
Author Unknown
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the
noise and haste,
And remember what peace
there may be in silence.
As far as possible
without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly
and clearly
And listen to others,
even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and
aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself
to others, you may become vain and bitter,
For always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements
as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your
own career, however humble;
It is a real possession
in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your
business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let not this blind
you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for
high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially
do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about
love, for in the face of all aridity
And disenchantment it is
as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the
counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering
the things of youth.
Nurture strength of
spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress
yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of
fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome
discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the
universe, no less than the trees and the stars.
You have the right to be
here.
And whether or not it is
clear to you,
No doubt the Universe is
unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace
with God, whatever you conceive she to be,
And whatever your
labours and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion
of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham
drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful
world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Kibran
A Message from Heaven
I am not so
far from you
Just a little
way beyond
Past the
cares and past the pain
Far past my
earthly bonds.
When you feel
you miss me most
As years go
drifting by
Each memory
will prove to you
That our love
will never die.
For memories
are but a touch
From the
Father’s gentle hand
To heal your
pain and mend your hearts
To help you
understand
That while I
left you far too soon
I did not
leave alone
For the
father sent his angels
To gently
take me home.
Take comfort
when you think of me
Keep my love
alight in your heart
And with the
warmth of each memory
We will never
be apart.
Alison Chambers Coxsy
If I Should Go Tomorrow
If I should
go tomorrow
It would
never be goodbye
For I have
left my heart with you
So don’t you
ever cry.
The love
that’s deep within me
Shall reach
you from the stars,
You’ll feel
it from the heavens,
And it will
heal the scars.
Author unknown
Bring us O Lord God, at
our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven, to
enter into that gate and dwell in that house, where
there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal
light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no
fears nor hopes, but one equal eternity; in the
habitations of Thy glory and dominion world without end.
Amen
1571-1631 A reading from
John Donne
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.
The
Celestial Surgeon
If I have faltered more
or less
In my great task of
unhappiness;
If I have moved among my
race
And shown no shining
morning face;
If beams from happy eyes
Have moved me no; if
morning skies,
Books, and my food, and
summer rain
Knocked on my sullen
heart in vain:-
Lord, thy most pointed
pleasure take
And stab my spirit broad
awake.
Author
unknown
In Him
I spend the lonely daytime
In a garden among the trees
And I look up to heaven
And thank the Lord for giving me
Things such as these.
I spend the lonely evening
With the moon and stars above
As I look up to heaven
I thank Him for giving me
Such things to love.
For the life that I know
I thank Him so
For He taught me how to
Live laugh and cry
And I send a prayer
To Him way up there.
For teaching me just how to die.
I spend the silent midnight
With its shadows upon the wall
As I kneel in the darkness
I thank the Lord
For eyes to behold
The face of each friend
‘Till I’m told it’s journey’s end.
Yes, thank you Lord
For the life you’ve given
And as the shadows softly fall
I will be ready when You call.
Jack Davey
So
Heart Be Still
So heart be still:
What need our little
life
Our human life to know,
If God hath
comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and
low
God hideth His
intention.
God knows, His will
Is best. The stretch of
years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our
fears
Are premature: In Him
All time hath full
provision.
Then rest; until
God moves to lift the
veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter
features
Of life’s stern face we
hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His
creatures
Our mind shall fill.
Author
unknown
The
Traveller
She has put on
invisibility.
Dear Lord, I cannot
see---
But this I know although
the road ascends
And passes from my
sight,
That there will be no
night;
That You will take her
gently by the hand
And lead her on Along
the road of life that never ends,
And she will find it is
not death but dawn.
I do not doubt that You
are there as here,
And you will hold her
dear.
Our life did not begin
with birth,
It is not of the earth;
And this that we call
death, it is no more
Than the opening and
closing of a door---
And in Your house how
many rooms must be
Beyond this one where we
rest momentarily.
Dear Lord, I thank you
for the faith that frees,
The love that knows it
cannot lose its own;
The love that, looking
through the shadows, sees
That You and she and I
are ever one
James
Dillet Freeman
She
Is Just Away
You cannot say, you must
not say
That she is dead, she is
just away!
With a cheery smile
And a wave of the hand
She has wandered into an
unknown land
And left us dreaming how
very fair
It needs must be
Since she lingers there;
So think of her as
faring on, as dear
In the love of There as
the love of Here,
Think of her still as
the same, and say
She is not dead, she is
just away.
Adapted
from the writings of
James
Whitcomb Riley
A
Prayer in Bereavement
We give them back to
You,
Dear Lord who gave them
to us
Yes, as You do not lose
them in giving,
So we have not lost them
by their return.
Not as the world gives,
You give,
O Lover of souls.
What you give, You take
not away;
For what is Yours is
ours always,
If we are Yours.
And life is eternal and
love is immortal;
And death is only a
horizon and a horizon
Is nothing save the
limit of our sight.
Lift us up, JESUS, that
we may see farther.
Cleanse our eyes that we
may see more clearly.
Draw us closer to
Yourself that
We may know ourselves
nearer to
our beloved who are with
You.
And while You prepare a
place for us,
Prepare us for that
happy
Place that, where they
are
And You are, we too, may
be.
Through Jesus Christ,
our Lord,
Amen.
From John
5 – Verses 24-27
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life.
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God:
and they that hear shall live.
For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son
to have life in himself;
And hath
given him authority to execute judgment also, because he
is the Son of man.
And from Romans 14 - Verses 7-9
For none
of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself.
For
whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord’s.
For to
this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that
he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
While Waiting For Thee
Don’t weep at
my grave, for I am not there,
I’ve a date
with a butterfly to dance in the air.
I’ll be
singing in the sunshine, wild and free,
Playing tag
with the wind, while I’m waiting for thee.
We are as the
wings of a butterfly,
Bound
together with the love of God.
Author Unknown
I Sent You Each A Memory
I know how
much you miss me,
I see the
pain inside your heart.
But I am
not so far away,
We really
aren’t apart.
So be
happy for me dear ones,
You know I
hold you dear.
And be
glad I’m spending Christmas
With Jesus
Christ this year.
I sent you
each a special gift,
From my
heavenly home above,
I sent you
each a memory
Of my
undying love.
After all
love is a gift more precious
Than pure
untarnished gold
It was
always most important
In the
stories Jesus told.
Please
love and keep each other,
As my
Father said to do.
For I
can’t count the blessing or love
He has for
each of you.
So have a
Merry Christmas and
Wipe away
that tear.
Remember I
am spending Christmas with
Jesus
Christ this year.
Nora Donston
If Tears Could Build a Stairway
If tears
could build a stairway
And
memories were a lane
We would
walk right up to heaven
And bring
you back again
No
farewell words were spoken
No time to
say goodbye
You were
gone before we knew it
And only
God knows why
Our hearts
still ache in sadness
And secret
tears still flow
What it
means to lose you
No one can
ever know
But now we
know you want us
To mourn
for you no more
To
remember all the happy times
Life still
has much in store
Since
you’ll never be forgotten
We pledge
to you today
A hallowed
place within our hearts
Is where
you’ll always stay.
Author unknown
When Sorrow Comes
When
sorrow comes,
God’s
promises
Are
shining rays of hope
That break
through cloudy skies
To bring
us warmth
And help
us cope.
He
promises to love us
And to
hear our every prayer
To comfort
us and guide us,
And to
always just be there.
He
promises to give us strength
To weather
any storm
To be
someone we can lean on
Who will
keep us safe and warm.
For God
will never leave us
All alone
when skies are grey
As long,
as we believe and trust
His love
will light the way.
Author unknown
Abide With Me
Abide with
me; fast falls the eventide;
The
darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other
helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of
the helpless, oh abide with me.
Swift to
its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s
joys dim, its glories pass away;
Change and
decay all around I see;
O Thou who
changest not, abide with me.
I fear no
foe with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have
no weight, and tears have no bitterness;
Where is
death’s sting? where grave thy victory?
I triumph
still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold then
Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine
through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s
morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life,
in death, oh Lord, abide with me.
Henry Francis Lyte
Comfort
Another leaf
has fallen,
Another soul
is gone
But still we
have God’s promises
In every
robin’s song,
For he is in
his heaven
And though he
takes away
He always
leaves to mortals
The bright
sun’s kindly ray,
He leaves the
fragrant blossoms
And lovely
forests, green
And gives us
new found comfort
When we on
Him will lean.
Author unknown
Ecclesiastes 3: 18
To everything
there is a season,
And a time to
every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be
born, and a time to die;
A time to
plant, and a time to pluck up
That which is
planted;
A time to
kill and a time to heal;
A time to
break down, and a time to build up;
A time to
weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to
mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to
cast away stones,
And a time to
gather stones together;
A time to
embrace, and a time to
Refrain from
embracing;
A time to
get, and a time to lose;
A time to
keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to
rend, and a time to sew;
A time to
keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to
love, and a time to hate;
A time of war
and a time of peace.
You Never Said Goodbye
You never
said I'm leaving
You never said goodbye
You were gone before I knew it,
And only God knew why.
A million times I needed you,
A million times I cried
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died
In life I loved you dearly
In death I love you still
In my heart you hold a place,
That no one will ever fill
It broke my heart to lose you,
But you didn't go alone
For part of me went with you,
The day God took you home.
Author unknown
Fireman’s Prayer
When I am
called to duty, God
Wherever
flames may rage
Give me
the strength to save some life
Whatever
be its age.
Help me
embrace a little child
before it is too late
Or save an
older person from
The horror
of that fate,
Enable me
to be alert
And to
hear the weakest shout
And
quickly and efficiently
To put
that fire out.
I want to
fill my calling
And give
the best in me
To guard
my every neighbour
And
protect his property.
And if,
according to Your will,
I have to
lose my life
Please
bless with Your protecting hand
My
children and my wife.
Author unknown
Memories Deep in My Heart
Happy little memories
Go flitting through my
heart
And in all my thoughts
and memories
I always seem to find
The picture of your
face, Mother
The memory of your touch
And all the other little
things
I’ve come to treasure so
much,
You cannot go beyond my
thoughts
Or leave my love behind
Because I keep you in my
heart
And forever on my mind.
Precious little memories
Of little things we’ve
done
Make the very darkest
day
A bright and happy one.
Tender little memories
Of some word or deed
Give us strength and
courage
When we are in need.
Blessed little memories
Help us bear the cross
And soften all the
bitterness
Of failure and the loss.
Priceless little
memories
Are treasures without
price
And through the gateway
of the heart
They lead to paradise.
God needed an angel in
heaven
So he called my dear
mother above
But she’s only as far as
my heart
And she lives as before
in my heart.
Helen Steiner Ross
Promised Land
Death is just another
step
Along life’s
changing way,
No more than just a
gateway
To a new and better
day,
And parting from our
loved ones
Is much easier to bear
When we know they are
waiting
For us to join them
there
For it is on the wings
of death
That living soul takes
flight
In the promised land of
God
When there shall be no
night.
Helen
Steiner Ross
The
House of Prayer
Just close your eyes
And open your heart
And feel your worries
And cares depart,
Just yield yourself
To the Father above
And let Him hold you
Secure in his love.
So when you are tired,
Discouraged, and blue,
There’s always one door
That is open to you-
That is the door
To the house of prayer
And you’ll find God
waiting
To meet you there.
Helen
Steiner Ross
Gone Home
God looked
around his garden
And found an
empty space.
He looked
down upon the earth
And saw your
tired face,
He put his
arms around you
And lifted
you to rest.
God’s garden
must be beautiful
For he only
takes the best.
He knows you
were in pain,
He knew that
you would never
Be well on
earth again.
He saw the
road was getting rough,
And the hills
were hard to climb;
So he closed
your weary eyelids
And
whispered, “Peace be thine.”
A SMALL
REQUEST
Dear God,
We pray
that you will support all those who are suffering from
cancer, those with it,
those whose loved ones have lost their battle with it,
and those who are feeling any fear that this disease may
strike themselves or their loved ones.
We ask you especially to help those who are working in
research to find a real cure for this disease
as we remember Jesus who helped all those who came to
Him so many years ago
when He walked the roads and streets of the land where
He was born in the stable,
and we offer this prayer in His name.
Amen
May the blessing of
light be upon you,
Light on the
outside, light on the inside.
With God’s sunlight
shining on you,
May your heart glow
with warmth like a turf fire
That welcomes
friends and strangers alike.
May the light of the
Lord shine from your eyes
Like a candle in a
window
Welcoming the weary
traveller.
May the blessing of
God’s soft rain be on you
Falling gently on
your head, refreshing your soul
With the sweetness
of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of
the winds of Heaven bless you
Carrying the rain to
wash your spirit clean,
Sparkling after in
the sunlight.
May the blessing of
God’s earth be on you,
And as you walk the
roads,
May you always have
a kind word for those you meet.
May you understand
the strength and power of God.
In a thunderstorm in
winter
And the quiet beauty
of creation
In the calm of a
summer sunset.
And may you come to
realize that,
Insignificant as you
may seem in this great Universe,
You ‘ARE’ an
important part of God’s plan.
May he watch over
you
And keep you safe
from harm.
Author unknown
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