Rose Richards nee Cunnison
died 18th April 2008
The Scotsman and The Edinburgh Evening News
26 April 2008
Obituary
RICHARDS Rose (nee Cunnison) (Edinburgh) Peacefully, at Liberton Hospital, on Friday April 18 2008, Rose, beloved wife of the late Edwin and much loved aunt of the family.
Funeral service at Mortonhall Crematorium Pentland Chapel on Wednesday April 30 at 11.50 am to which all family and friends are invited.
Family flowers only, please.
Funeral Service
Conducted by the Reverend Martin Robson.
The Gathering
‘I am the resurrection and the life,’ says the Lord. ‘Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’ John 11.25,26
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3.16
Introduction
We meet in the name of Jesus Christ,
who died and was raised to the glory of God the Father.
Grace and mercy be with you.
We have come here today
to remember before God our sister Rose
to give thanks for her life;
to commend her to God our merciful redeemer and judge;
to commit her body to be cremated,
and to comfort one another in our grief.
God of all consolation,
your Son Jesus Christ was moved to tears
at the grave of Lazarus his friend.
Look with compassion on your children in their loss;
give to troubled hearts the light of hope
and strengthen in us the gift of faith,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayers of Penitence
As children of a loving heavenly Father,
let us ask his forgiveness, for he is gentle and full of compassion.
God of mercy,
we acknowledge that we are all sinners.
We turn from the wrong that we have thought and said and done,
and are mindful of all that we have failed to do.
For the sake of Jesus, who died for us,
forgive us for all that is past,
and help us to live each day in the light of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
May God our Father forgive us our sins
and bring us to the eternal joy of his kingdom,
where dust and ashes have no dominion.
Amen.
The Collect
Merciful Father,
hear our prayers and comfort us;
renew our trust in your Son, whom you raised from the dead;
strengthen our faith that all who have died in the love of Christ
will share in his resurrection;
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Readings and sermon
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He shall refresh my soul *
and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; *
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,*
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23
Prayers
God of mercy, Lord of life,
you have made us in your image to reflect your truth and light:
we give you thanks for Rose,
for the grace and mercy she received from you,
for all that was good in her life,
for the memories we treasure today.
You promised eternal life to those who believe.
Remember for good this your servant Rose
as we also remember her.
Bring all who rest in Christ into the fullness of your kingdom
where sins have been forgiven and death is no more.
Your mighty power brings joy out of grief and life out of death.
Look in mercy on us all who mourn.
Give them patient faith in times of darkness.
Strengthen them with the knowledge of your love.
You are tender towards your children
and your mercy is over all your works.
Heal the memories of hurt and failure.
Give us the wisdom and grace to use aright
the time that is left to us here on earth,
to turn to Christ and follow in his steps
in the way that leads to everlasting life.
God of mercy,
entrusting into your hands all that you have made
and rejoicing in our communion with all your faithful people,
we make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who 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.
This was followed by a personal appreciation, written by Isobel on behalf of the family.
Aunt Rose
You were a kind daughter, sister and sister-in-law.
You were a loving and caring wife.
You were a good aunt.
You always listened and understood. You gave advice when asked for but if your advice was disregarded, there were never any hard feelings. There were no demands on your part.
You were always a very fair person, and could see both sides of any story.
You treated everyone with respect.
You always gave encouragement.
Many people become more concerned with themselves than with others as they get older but you remained interested in the rest of the world and what people were doing.
Towards the end of our last phone call, bright as ever, you asked about my next book. "You'd better hurry up and finish it soon, dear," you said with your usual laugh, "otherwise I won't be around to read it."
A good listener, understanding and fair; respect for and interest in other people; giving encouragement and remaining cheerful, whatever the circumstances.
These are the things we'll remember, Auntie Rose. Thank you.
Funeral reading and sermon for Rose Richards
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.
Sermon Text: John 14. 2 “In my Father’s house there are many mansions”.
In a funeral sermon we attempt to answer the question: why did God put this person, whom we loved, on this earth and give them to us for a time? We try to discern how God has spoken to us, or revealed himself to us through them.
In the piece that I have just read by Isobel, it clear that Rose was a loving and caring person. She listened to folk and understood them. She treated people with respect, even when their opinions differed from her own. She was truly interested in other people and was always encouraging. I would suggest to you that these qualities reveal to us something of the very nature of God.
In the reading we heard from John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many mansions”. This sentence affirms that God is one who delights in individuality and uniqueness. God has prepared a place suited for each person. He loves and respects each one of us as we truly are.
We live in a world that is increasingly given to telling us that happiness is to be found in possessing things and in conformity to a particular style: if only we all had the newest so and so or the best such and such. Rose’s life tells us that true happiness is to be found in the love and respect of others, in delighting and encouraging people in their uniqueness. In this way, she is a gift and revelation of the God in whose house there are many mansions.
Commendation and Farewell
Let us commend Rose to the mercy of God,
our maker and redeemer.
Silence is kept.
God our creator and redeemer,
by your power Christ conquered death and entered into glory.
Confident of his victory and claiming his promises,
we entrust Rose to your mercy in the name of Jesus our Lord,
who died and is alive and reigns with you,
now and for ever.
Amen.
The Committal
We have but a short time to live.
Like a flower we blossom and then wither;
like a shadow we flee and never stay.
In the midst of life we are in death;
to whom can we turn for help,
but to you, Lord, who are justly angered by our sins?
Yet, Lord God most holy, Lord most mighty,
O holy and most merciful Saviour,
deliver us from the bitter pain of eternal death.
Lord, you know the secrets of our hearts;
hear our prayer, O God most mighty;
spare us, most worthy judge eternal;
at our last hour let us not fall from you,
O holy and merciful Saviour.
We have entrusted our sister Rose to God’s mercy,
and we now commit her body to the ground/to be cremated:
earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust:
in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our frail bodies
that they may be conformed to his glorious body,
who died, was buried, and rose again for us.
To him be glory for ever.
Amen.
The Dismissal
Nunc Dimittis (The Song of Simeon)
1 Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: *
your word has been fulfilled.
2 My own eyes have seen the salvation *
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
3 A light to reveal you to the nations *
and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2.29-32
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Prayer
Support us, O Lord,
all the day long of this troublous life,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Ending
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church, living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.