Sermon and Worship Resources

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Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Almighty God, our Father in heaven, before whom live all who die in the Lord: Receive N. into the courts of your heavenly dwelling. Let N.'s heart and soul now ring out in joy to you, O Lord, the Living God, and the God of those who live. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP p. 466)"Receive N. into the courts of your heavenly dwelling." I think that says everything about why we are gath...

2. A Sheep Of Your Own Flock

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

No two ways about it, it has been a difficult few days, and we are in a difficult time. N., who has been part of our lives for so long, whom we have come to know and love and care for deeply, has died. We wish it weren't so. We wonder how we can go on without him [her]. We have unanswered questions. We know fear, and grief, and sorrow all rolled into one. Many years ago, there was another person w...

3. A Time To Die

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

For everything there is a season,and a time for every matter under heaven:a time to be born, and a time to die. These opening lines from the book of Ecclesiastes say that there is a season for everything. There is a time to be born. There is a time to die. Such a time it is, for we are in the season of Lent. And if ever there is a time that the Christian faith dwells on death, practices it, even c...

4. Alleluia, He Is Risen!

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Canticle: Christ Is Risen or Pascha Nostrum Music: He Is Risen, He Is Risen The liturgy for the dead, the Burial Office, for which we have come here today, is an Easter liturgy. And since we are in the midst of the Great Fifty Days of the Easter season, it is doubly an Easter liturgy. Therefore, we call today a celebration: a celebration of Jesus' resurrection, and the celebration of the sure and ...

5. Changed From Glory Into Glory

Romans 8:1-17

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Music: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling There is an old story about a fellow who was not very handsome at all. He fell in love with a young woman, but he was sure that she would not be interested in him. So with the help of a surgeon he had a special mask designed, a handsome mask that was then placed over his face. With this handsome new look, he easily won over the woman he loved and they were m...

6. Come, O Blessed Of My Father

John 5:16-30

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Anthem: Christ Is Risen This past Sunday in church we celebrated what is known as Christ the King Sunday. Picture it: Christ the King, subjecting all powers and enemies under his feet, reigning as king in heaven following his resurrection, and awaiting his return to earth and the ushering in of eternity. In some churches, it is celebrated as "Eternity" Sunday. One of the readings appointed for Chr...

7. Death In The Midst Of Birth

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Canticle: Nunc Dimittis There is probably no more difficult a time to mourn the loss of a loved one and join in the burial prayers than this. The twelve days of Christmas are for celebration, festivity, lightheartedness, merriment; a time to celebrate birth and God's love in sending Jesus to us. But for us this year, the twelve days of Christmas mean sorrow, loss, grief, and death. In the season o...

8. Face To Face

John 14:1-4

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Picture, if you will, a small child learning to walk. The parents stand a few yards apart. The first parent directs the child toward the other parent. At first the child looks back to the first parent for encouragement. But at a critical moment near the middle of the journey, the child starts looking ahead to the second parent, puts out his or her hands, and hurries into the welcoming arms (borrow...

9. For All The Saints

Revelation 7:9-17

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Music: For All The Saints For all the saints, who from their labors rest,who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy Name, O Jesus, be for ever blessed. Alleluia, Alleluia! ("For All The Saints," The Hymnal 1982, 287) For All The Saints Today we come together to acknowledge the passing of a saint. I say "saint" because according to the New Testament, the word "saint" is used to describe ...

10. I Bind Unto Myself Today

Job 19:1-29

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world; In the Name of God the Father Almighty who created you; In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you; In the Name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you. May your rest be this day in peace, and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God. (BCP p. 464). This prayer is most appropriate for today, as we just celebrated on Sunday what is known to Christians a...

11. I Go To Prepare A Place For You

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

One of my favorite stories is the true story of a young couple who had a little girl and had just returned home from the hospital with a newborn baby boy. Their little girl kept begging to go into the nursery alone with her new sibling. The parents were afraid, as they had heard stories of children being jealous of newborn siblings, and thought she might want to harm the baby. She kept asking to b...

12. Lift High The Cross

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

The death of a loved one is always a difficult and traumatic time. As one of our prayers says, at a time such as this, "Our hearts fail us, we long for that which cannot be, and there is none to comfort us ... [for we know] our eyes no longer will behold the one we love, and our ears no longer will hear the familiar footsteps" (See J. B. Bernardin, Burial Services, page 139). If we were in a churc...

13. Low In The Grave He Lay

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

The past two days are two of the most solemn days in the Christian year. For yesterday, on Good Friday, Christians commemorated Jesus' death. Later that evening, Jesus' body was taken down from the cross, anointed with oil, and wrapped in linen. Then it was placed in the tomb, and a large rock rolled across to seal it. Today, Holy Saturday, is the day that Jesus "lay low in the grave." Jesus' disc...

14. Sleepers, Wake!

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Part 2 Homilies Canticle: Benedictus Dominus DeusMusic: Sleepers, Wake! One of the most powerful hymns I have ever experienced is the Advent hymn, "Sleepers, Wake!" It was written and composed by a pastor in Westphalia during an epidemic rage in which over 1,300 of his parishioners took ill and died. As he stood by his flock, watching them collapse to the epidemic one after the other, he wrote "Sl...

15. The Sting Of Death

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Perhaps it makes sense to state the obvious right up front. Here we are, gathered on this well-known day in the church year, Good Friday. This is the one day where the main thought on our minds is Jesus' death, the cross, his suffering and crucifixion. It's the day we Christians, near the end of Lent, and wearied by the 40 days of penitence, fasting, and self-denial, screw up our courage to stare ...

16. Welcome To The Banquet

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

On the night before Jesus died, he gathered with his friends in an upper room. In that sacred space, three things happened that Christians have remembered and celebrated ever since. Jesus Washes Our Feet First, Jesus got up from the table. He took off his outer garment, and put on a towel. He put on the clothing of a servant. Scripture tells us that he could do this because "he knew that he had ...

17. Welcome To The Banquet

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

On the night before Jesus died, he gathered with his friends in an upper room. In that sacred space, three things happened that Christians have remembered and celebrated ever since. First, Jesus got up from the table. He took off his outer garment, and put on a towel. He put on the clothing of a servant. Scripture tells us that he could do this because "he knew that he had come from God and was go...

18. Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

Psalm 139:1-24

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Music: Come, Gracious Spirit When Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount, one of the things he said was, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Today, as we gather together to pray, we know firsthand the promise of Christ's words. For it is natural, at such a time as this, to turn to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter, as Jesus called the Spirit. We pray that the Spi...

19. Yet I Will Rejoice

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

A couple of years ago on a cold, bleak day, I got a phone call from a woman who asked if I was the pastor. "Yes," I said, "what can I do for you?" "Well," she said, "there has been a death." She went on to tell me that her dog, Pepper, had accidentally gotten out of the fenced-in back yard and had been killed by a car. Her children were very upset. She was upset for them, because they were foster ...

20. You Now Have Set Your Servant Free

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Lord, you now have set your servant free,to go in peace as you have promised;For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,whom you have prepared for all the world to see:A light to enlighten the nations,and the glory of your people Israel. (BCP p. 120) There is a story in Holy Scripture about Jesus as a newborn infant, all of 40 days old. His parents, Mary and Joseph, took Jesus to the Temple to pr...

Showing 1 to 20 of 20all results

Showing all results

1. A Dwelling Place

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

2. A Sheep Of Your Own Flock

Psalm 23:1-6

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

3. A Time To Die

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

4. Alleluia, He Is Risen!

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

5. Changed From Glory Into Glory

Romans 8:1-17

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

6. Come, O Blessed Of My Father

John 5:16-30

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

7. Death In The Midst Of Birth

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

8. Face To Face

John 14:1-4

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

9. For All The Saints

Revelation 7:9-17

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

10. I Bind Unto Myself Today

Job 19:1-29

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

11. I Go To Prepare A Place For You

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

12. Lift High The Cross

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

13. Low In The Grave He Lay

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

14. Sleepers, Wake!

Matthew 25:1-13

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

15. The Sting Of Death

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

16. Welcome To The Banquet

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

17. Welcome To The Banquet

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

On the night before Jesus died, he gathered with his friends in an upper room. In that sacred space, three things happened that Christians have remembered and celebrated ever since. First, Jesus got up from the table. He took off his outer garment, and put on a towel. He put on the clothing of a servant. Scripture tells us that he could do this because "he knew that he had come from God and was go...

18. Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

Psalm 139:1-24

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

19. Yet I Will Rejoice

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

20. You Now Have Set Your Servant Free

Isaiah 25:1-12

Eulogy

Barbara G. Schmitz

Showing 1 to 20 of 20all results