"Be gracious to your people, we entreat you, O Lord, that they, repenting day by day of the things that displease you, may be more and more filled with love of you and of your commandments; and, being supported by your grace in this life, may come to the full enjoyment of eternal life in your everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 23, Susanna 1-9, 15-29, 34-62, and John 8:1-11
The Psalm appointed for today is one of the most well-known pieces of Scripture. At Saint Paul's we read the KJV version of the Psalm at almost every burial service, and I've grown to appreciate it more as I've continued to hear it. I appreciate the truth that is present in it, and I appreciate the hope that it presents.
In some of the prayers for our burial rite we pray for the continued life of the deceased, praying that they may go from "strength to strength" as they pass forth from this life. Thinking about saying this psalm within those services makes me think about how we might be saying it on the behalf of the deceased in many cases. Because death doesn't always come peacefully, and sometimes the deceased die with some of their own unresolved issues, we offer up our prayers of thanksgiving and intercession for them within such a service.
In saying this psalm for both ourselves and the deceased we are reminded of the Lord's loving nature and the ever-present hope of everlasting life. We proclaim that God is indeed with us in the depths of our grief, comforting us with the gentle strength of the shepherd's staff as we are guided back toward light, and we know that God's kingdom can await us.
1 comment:
It is true, I've not been to a funeral where the 23rd Psalm was not used. It also is faithfully recited in all times of trouble and natural disaster. Do we really only think we need this Psalm then?
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