What
About Burial At Sea?The service for burial at sea or in nature
is similar to a committal service. In practice, this service implies cremation.
Members of the immediate family and close friends of the deceased gather on the
deck of a ship, for example, or on the beach, or other appropriate location.
After a brief opening prayer and the reading of scripture, as the ashes are scattered
upon the water, the minister says the following prayer:
In sure and
certain hope of the resurrection into eternal life, through our Lord Jesus
Christ, we commend to almighty God our brother/sister (Name),
and we commit his/her body to the sea, earch to earth, ashes to ashes,
dust to dust.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, They
rest from their labors, and their works follow them.
Then follows
a prayer, a blessing and benediction.
Additional readings and appropriate
music could be added so that this service could substitute for a funeral in a
church.
If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 917-439-2305
The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2015).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2017).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.