Funeral Homily - Abide with me

Preached at Robin Hood Crematorium 1pm on Tuesday 12/02/08.

Reading John 6: 52-59

In a few moments we will be signing ????’s favourite hymn, “Abide with me” and it seems to me that this is a particularly appropriate hymn for her funeral. The words of the first two verses in particular seem to express the sadness of life slowly ebbing away. The darkness deepens, the helpers fail, the comforts flee, joys grow dim, glories pass away and change and decay is all around. Perhaps this is a description of the last decades of ????'s life, as various difficulties became more and more pressing, taking their toll, and causing tremendous problems for friends and relatives. ????'s quality of life was reduced to a very low level until it finally fizzled out. And this might be very depressing.
And yet, paradoxically, "Abide with me" is a hymn of hope. The hymn is a prayer asking the Lord to aside with us, through all the suffering and decay of life slipping away. The hymn expresses a profound trust that through the cross of Jesus we can hope for a new life in heaven, beyond the gloom of our earthly death. “Hold thou 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”. It was precisely because of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, that the new life and hope of his resurrection was revealed. And this is our Christian hope which even in these sceptical and agnostic times, we dare to sign about, dare to trust in.
And it seems to me that ????, in particular has grounds for hope. We know that she was deeply involved in the church community; we know that she was a regular communicant, sharing in the bread and wine of Holy Communion; sharing in Christ’s Body and blood. In the reading that we read a few minutes ago we heard Jesus’ promise that those who share in the body and blood of Jesus, share in his eternal life, he abides with them, and he will raise them up on the last day.
So let us give thanks for ????. Let’s us hold up before the Lord the many sufferings of her last years, both those endured by her and those endured by others. And let us trust in the promise of Jesus, that he will abide with her, and raise her up on the last day.