We hold before God…

All whose hearts are sore today
As they mourn the loss of someone they have loved.
We think of those who have lost those whom their love has created, while still in the womb…
We think of parents having to bury a child –
And of young adults taken too soon;
As well as of adults of all ages
whose voices we were not ready to let fall silent.
And on this day, we remember in particular,
those who have spent many years together:
Those whose lives have been interwoven and intertwined for decades and who know only the constant companionship of the other
And who live now with deafening silence
And a heart-breaking sadness.
Into the pain of the great gap loss leaves…
Into the confusion of thoughts and emotions
We ask for peace to descend
And for comfort through the touch and kindness
of family and friends –
As well as for the hope that comes from faith in an Easter God
For whom death does not have the final word.
Hold tight, Father God,
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and all her family, we pray.
But may all who mourn know you close.
This day and always. Amen