Funeral Homily - The New Jerusalem

Extract from a funeral homily 02 04 07
Reading: Reverlation 21:1-7

It was ????’s specific request that we should all sing William Blake’s hymn “Jerusalem” at his funeral, and we shall be doing that after the prayers. It is not very clear what the hymn is all about, but it seems that Blake is pondering a medieval legend that suggests that Christ visited Glastonbury as a youth with Joseph of Arimathea. Blake does not tell us whether he believes the legend is true or not, but rather he moves straight on to his compelling desire to build the new Jerusalem here in England’s green and pleasant land. Blake sees this process of building as “mental strife”. It may be that he sees his gold and his desires as weapons with which the battle can be fought.
The reading that we listened to a few moments ago picks out that theme of the new Jerusalem. It talks of the end of time, immediately after the last judgement, when God makes a new heaven and a new earth. In the new earth God dwells continually with his people. He is their light and mourning and crying and pain and death are no more, because the old things have passed away and God has made all things new.
And this is our Christian hope. Death is not the end, but rather is the entrance to everlasting life. Our soul returns to God our creator, and at the end of time we will regain our bodies and dwell with God in the new Jerusalem. So this is our hope for ???, and our hope for each one of us. And like William Blake, let us commit ourselves to the building of the New Jerusalem. Let us prepare ourselves to dwell always with God. Let us learn to live and work in harmony with all that God desires, and let’s develop our own personal relationships with God through prayer.