A library of resources for funerals

Will Your Anchor Hold In The Storms Of Life

Priscilla Jane Owens (1829-1907)

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!

.

Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rave, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o'erflow?
Chorus.
.

Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil.
Chorus.

Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life's storms are past for evermore?
Chorus.

Who would true valour see,

John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Who would true valour see,
let him come hither;
one here will constant be,
come wind, come weather;
there's no discouragement
shall make him once relent
his first avowed intent
to be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
with dismal stories,
do but themselves confound;
his strength the more is,
No lion can him fright;
he'll with a giant fight,
but he will have a right
to be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
can daunt his spirit;
he knows he at the end
shall life inherit.
Then, fancies, fly away;
he'll not fear what men say;
he'll labour night and day
to be a pilgrim.

Who put the colours in the rainbow

J A Paul Booth (1931-1995)

Who put the colours in the rainbow?
Who put the salt into the sea?
Who put the cold into the snowflake?
Who made you and me?
Who put the hump upon the camel?
Who put the neck on the giraffe?
Who put the tail upon the monkey?
Who made hyenas laugh?
Who made whales and snails and quails?
Who made hogs and dogs and frogs?
Who made bats and rats and cats?
Who made ev'rything?

Who put the gold into the sunshine?
Who put the sparkle in the stars?
Who put the silver in the moonlight?
Who made Earth and Mars?
Who put the scent into the roses?
Who taught the honey bee to dance?
Who put the tree inside the acorn?
It surely can't be chance!
Who made seas and leaves and trees?
Who made snow and winds that blow?
Who made streams and rivers flow?
God made all of these!

Who Fathoms The Eternal Thought

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Who fathoms the eternal thought?
Who talks of scheme and plan?
The Lord is God! He needeth not
The poor device of man.

Here in the maddening maze of things,
When tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed ground my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!

I long for household voices gone,
For vanished smiles I long,
But God hath led my dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong.

I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruisëd reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain.

No offering of my own I have,
Nor works, my faith to prove;
I can but give the gifts He gave,
And plead His love for love.

7And so beside the silent sea
I wait the muffled oar;
No harm from Him can come to me
In ocean or on shore

8I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.

Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night

Nahum Tate (1652-1715)

While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
all seated on the ground,
the angel of the Lord came down,
and glory shone around.

Fear not,' said he (for mighty dread
had seized their troubled mind);
'glad tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind.

To you in David's town this day
is born of David's line
a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
and this shall be the sign:

The heavenly babe you there shall find
to human view displayed,
all meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
and in a manger laid.'

Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith
appeared a shining throng
of angels praising God, who thus
addressed their joyful song;

All glory be to God on high,
and on the earth be peace;
good will henceforth from heaven to men
begin and never cease.'

When We Walk With The Lord

John H Sammis (1846-1919)

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
Not a frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
Chorus

But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favour He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Chorus

Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go -
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Chorus

When Upon Life's Billows You Are Tempest Tossed

Johnson Oatman (1856-1922)

When upon life's billows you are tempest toss'd,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold,
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all,
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Refrain

When The Day Of Toil Is Done

John Ellerton (1826-1893)

When the day of toil is done,
When the race of life is run,
Father, grant Thy wearied one
Rest for evermore.

When the strife of sin is stilled,
When the foe within in killed,
Be Thy gracious word fulfilled-
Peace for evermore.

When the darkness melts away
At the breaking of the day,
Bid us hail the cheering ray-
Light for evermore.

When the heart by sorrow tried
Feels at length its throbs subside,
Bring us, where all tears are dried,
Joy for evermore.

When for vanished days we yearn,
Days that never can return,
Teach us in Thy love to learn
Love for evermore.

When the breath of life is flown,
When the grave must claim its own,
Lord of Life, be ours Thy crown-
Life for evermore.

When Peace, Like A River, Attendeth My Way

Horatio G Spafford (1828-1888)

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows, like sea-billows, roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul, with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed His own blood for my soul.
Chorus

My sin - O the bliss of this glorious thought! -
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Chorus

For me be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live!
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Chorus

But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming, we wait;
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
O trump of the angel! O voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope! blessèd rest of my soul!
Chorus

When Mothers Of Salem

William M Hutchings (1827-1876)

When mothers of Salem,
Their children brought to Jesus,
The stern disciples drove them back
And bade them depart;
But Jesus saw them ere they fled,
And sweetly smiled, and kindly said:
'Suffer the children to come unto Me.'

How kind was our Saviour
To bid those children welcome;
But there are many thousands
Who have never heard His name;
The Bible they have never read;
They know not that the Saviour said
'Suffer the children to come unto Me.'

O soon may the heathen
Of every tribe and nation
Fulfil Thy blesséd word, and cast
Their idols all away;
O shine upon them from above,
And show Thyself a God of love;
Teach them, dear Saviour, to come unto Thee.

When Morning Gilds The Skies

Nürnberg Gesangbuch (1828),

When morning gilds the skies,
my heart awaking cries,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
alike at work and prayer
to Jesus I repair;
may Jesus Christ be praised.

Whene'er the sweet church bell
peals over hill and dell,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
O hark to what it sings,
as joyously it rings,
may Jesus Christ be praised:

My tongue shall never tire
of chanting with the choir,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
this song of sacred joy,
it never seems to cloy,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

When sleep her balm denies,
my silent spirit sighs,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
when evil thoughts molest,
with this I shield my breast,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

Does sadness fill my mind?
a solace here I find,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
or fades my earthly bliss?
my comfort still is this,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

The night becomes as day,
when from the heart we say,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
the powers of darkness fear,
when this sweet chant they hear,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

7 In heaven's eternal bliss
the loveliest strain is this,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
let air and sea and sky,
from depth to height, reply,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

8 To God, the Word, on high
the hosts of angels cry,
may Jesus Christ be praised:
let mortals, too, upraise
their voice in hymns of praise,
may Jesus Christ be praised.

A Man there lived in Galilee

Somerset Lowry (1855-1932)

A Man there lived in Galilee
unlike all men before,
for he alone from first to last
our flesh unsullied wore;
a perfect life of perfect deeds
once to the world was shown,
that all mankind might mark his steps
and in them plant their own.

A Man there died on Calvary
above all others brave;
his fellow-men he saved and blessed,
himself he scorned to save.
No thought can gauge the weight of woe
on him, the sinless, laid;
we only know that with his blood
our ransom price was paid.

A Man there reigns in glory now,
divine, yet human still;
that human which is all divine
death sought in vain to kill.
All power is his; supreme he rules
the realms of time and space;
yet still our human cares and needs
find in his heart a place.

A New Commandment I Give Unto You

Chorus: A new commandment I give unto you
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know you are my disciples
if you have love for one another.
By this shall all men know you are my disciples
if you have love for one another.
Chorus

You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.
Chorus

I am the true vine, my Father is the gard'ner.
Abide in me: I will be with you.
I am the true vine, my Father is the gard'ner
Abide in me: I will be with you.
Chorus

True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.
True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.
Chorus

A Safe Stronghold

Martin Luther (1483-1546) tr Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

A safe stronghold our God is still,
a trusty shield and weapon;
he’ll keep us clear from all the ill
that hath us now o’ertaken.
The ancient prince of hell
hath ris’n with purpose fell;
strong mail of craft and power
he weareth in this hour;
on earth is not his fellow.

With force of arms we nothing can,
full soon were we down-ridden;
but for us fights the proper Man
whom God himself hath bidden.
Ask ye, ‘Who is this same?
Christ Jesus is his name,
The Lord Sabaoth’s Son’;
he, and no other one
shall conquer in the battle.

And were this world all devils o’er,
and watching to devour us,
we lay it not to heart so sore;
not they can overpower us.
And let the prince of ill
Look grim as e’er he will,
He harms us not a whit;
for why? his doom is writ;
a word shall quickly slay him.

God’s word, for all their craft and force,
one moment will not linger,
but, spite of hell, shall have its course;
’tis written by his finger.
And though they take our life,
goods, honour, children, wife,
yet is their profit small;
these things shall vanish all:
the City of God remaineth.

ABBA, Father, Let Me Be

Dave Bilbrough

Abba, Father, let me be
Yours and yours alone.
May my will forever be
More and more your own.
Never let my heart grow cold,
Never let me go.
Abba, Father, let me be
Yours and yours alone.

ABBA, Father, Let Me Be

Dave Bilbrough

Abba, Father, let me be
Yours and yours alone.
May my will forever be
More and more your own.
Never let my heart grow cold,
Never let me go.
Abba, Father, let me be
Yours and yours alone.

Abide With Me

Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide:
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide:
When other helpers fail; and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see:
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour;
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O, abide with me.

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies:
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

All As God Wills, Who Wisely Heeds

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

All as God wills, who wisely heeds
To give or to withhold,
And knoweth more of all my needs
Than all my prayers have told.

Enough that blessings undeserved
Have marked my erring track;
That whereso'er my feet have swerved,
His chastening turned me back;

That more and more a providence
Of love is understood,
Making the springs of time and sense
Sweet with eternal good;

That death seems but a covered way
Which opens into light
Wherein no blinded child can stray
Beyond the Father's sight;

That care and trial seem at last,
Through memory's sunset air,
Like mountain ranges overpast,
In purple distance fair;

That all the jarring notes of life
Seem blending in a psalm,
And all the angles of its strife
Slow rounding into calm.

7And so the shadows fall apart,
And so the west winds play;
And all the windows of my heart
I open to the day.

All Creatures Of Our God And King

William Henry Draper (1855-1933) based on ‘Laudato sii, O me signore’ St Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun

All creatures of our God and King
lift up your voice and with us sing
Alleluia, alleluia.
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise him, alleluia.
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
ye lights of evening, find a voice;
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

And all ye men of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye alleluia.
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on him cast your care:
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

And thou, most kind and gentle death,
waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise him, alleluia.
Thou leadest home the child of God,
and Christ our Lord the way hath trod:
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness;
O praise him, alleluia.
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One;
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

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Resources for funerals

Browse Hymns, Songs, Poems, Readings, Imagery and Literature

Will Your Anchor Hold In The Storms Of Life

Who would true valour see,

Who put the colours in the rainbow

Who Fathoms The Eternal Thought

Who Are These Like Stars Appearing

Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night

When We Walk With The Lord

When Upon Life's Billows You Are Tempest Tossed

When The Day Of Toil Is Done

When Peace, Like A River, Attendeth My Way

When Mothers Of Salem

When Morning Gilds The Skies

A Man there lived in Galilee

A New Commandment I Give Unto You

A Safe Stronghold

ABBA, Father, Let Me Be

ABBA, Father, Let Me Be

Abide With Me

All As God Wills, Who Wisely Heeds

All Creatures Of Our God And King