Order of Service

 

God saw you getting tired,

and a cure was not to be

so he put his arms around you

and whispered “Come to Me”.

 

With tearful eyes we watched you

and saw you pass away,

although we loved you dearly,

we could not ask you stay.

 

A golden heart stopped beating,

hard working hands to rest,

God broke our hearts to prove to us

he only takes the best.

 

Organ Music before the Service - Nimrod, Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

 

Welcome and Introduction -  The Reverend Canon David Stanton

 

Hymn - Praise my soul, H.F. Lyte (1793-1847)

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
to his feet thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing?
Alleluia, Alleluia,
praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same as ever,
slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us,
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hands he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
ye behold him face to face;
sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
praise with us the God of grace.

 

First Reading - If I should go before you – by Joyce Grenfell (1910-1979)

If I should go before the rest of you

Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone

Nor when I'm gone speak in a Sunday voice

But be the usual selves that I have known

Weep if you must

Parting is hell

But life goes on

So sing as well.

 

Address - Alf Duch-Pedersen

 

Anthem - Cantique de Jean Racine op. 11,  Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924) 

Verbe égal au Très Haut notre unique espérance,

Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux.

De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence,

Divin Sauver jette  sur nous les yeux!

Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante,

Que tout l'enfer fuie au son de ta voix,

Discipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante

Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois!

O Christ sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle,

Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé,

Reçois les chants qu'il offre à ta gloire immortelle

Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé!

Word of God, Word made Flesh, at one with God Almighty,

Eternal light of the heav'ns and of earth;

Our song disturbs the peace, the silence of the night,

O Holy God, do not disdain our worth!

 

Shed over us the fire of thy strength and thy comfort,

May all hell flee away in fear of thee,

Ah, see this weary soul, awaken it from slumber

Which causes it to forget thy decree!

 

O Christ, look down with favour on those who adore thee,

To bless thy name we are gathered, O Lord,

Receive the song we offer to thy eternal glory,

May we return laden with thy reward.

 

Second Reading - John 14.1-6

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places.

If it were not so,

would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

 And if I go and prepare a place for you,

                                            

I will come again and will take you to myself,

so that where I am, there you may be also.

And you know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said to him,

‘Lord, we do not know where you are going.

How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him,

‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

Address - Mark Philip-Sørensen

 

Anthem - In Paradisum, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

In Paradisum deducant te Angeli:

in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres

et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,

et cum Lazaro quondum

paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

Let Angels escort thee to Paradise:

let the Martyrs sustain thee at thine

approach and lead thee to the holy city of Jerusalem.

Let the choir of Angels

receive thee, and with Lazarus who was

once a beggar let eternal rest be thine.

 

Third Reading - Ecclesiastes  3.1-8, 12-13

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace

I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

 

Hymn - Repton,  J.G. Whittier (1807-1892)

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence praise;

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word,
rise up and follow thee;

O Sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity
interpreted by love!

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

 

The Prayers

 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
for ever and ever.  

                       Amen.

Hymn - St Denio, W Chalmers Smith (1824-1908)

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
then wither and perish; but nought changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render: O help us to see
'tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

 

The Blessing - Numbers 6: v. 24,  Music: John Rutter (b.1945)

The Lord bless you and keep you:

The Lord make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious unto you:

The Lord lift up the light of the countenance upon you

and give you peace. 

                              Amen

 

Trumpet Voluntary -  Louis Armstrong's ‘What a wonderful World’, B Thiele & G.D. Weiss, 1967

 

Members of the congregation are warmly invited to join the family for refreshments in the Chapter House

 

Guest Book

If you wish to share any JPS memories, amusing stories, or tributes or indeed to leave a message for the family, please fill in the Guest Book at www.jpsmemorial.co.uk. All comments are welcome.

Thank you.

 

There will be a retiring collection for Worcester Cathedral

 

 

You were a man of the world,

but first and foremost you were a gentleman,

and the world will miss you.

 

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England,

material from which is included in this service,

is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000

CCL 1174460  MRL 1174477

Worcester Cathedral 2010