Augsburg Fortress

In Sure and Certain Hope: A Funeral Sourcebook is a comprehensive guide for planning, presiding, and preaching at funerals. An in-depth look at the funeral rite and sermon demonstrates how the funeral connects to baptism, proclaims the resurrection of Christ and promise of new life, and points to the communion of all the saints. Tools for discussing and planning a funeral with the family include a planning worksheet, suggestions for scripture texts and hymns, and essays on cremation, the use of a columbarium, natural or green burial, and military ceremonies. Additional resources address the unique dimensions of presiding and preaching at a funeral for a child, a funeral in the public eye, and a funeral following a suicide. The sourcebook also looks at the church’s role in ministry with the dying and bereaved, and in facilitating conversations about end-of-life matters, death, and grief.

The enclosed CD-ROM includes reproducible materials from the sourcebook, including rites and liturgies, an adult forum series outline, and tools to help individuals plan their own funerals, all editable and customizable to your needs.