And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousands times ten thousands, and thousands of thousands, Saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

And the four beasts said, "Amen." And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (Rev. 5:11-14)

Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Let us pray.
O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day this beloved bird, N., who was our companion during this life. We thank you for giving him to us to be a source of wonder, inspiration, and joy.

In Your compassion, comfort us in our grief. Give us faith to commit

this beloved bird to Your care, as you gave him to us to care for

during his life, and give us hope that we may one day be reunited in

heaven, for You live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us pray.

Gracious God, you gave to us the responsibility and blessing of the

care of this bird during his earthly life. If in any way we failed in that

responsibility, we ask for your pardon, and trust in Your mercy,

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Creator of all, when the dove returned to Noah with an olive branch in

her mouth, you gave us the rainbow as the sign of Your everlasting

covenant with every living creature of all flesh: help us to trust in your

covenant of faithfulness to N., our beloved bird. Amen.

Leader: For our companion, N., let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ,

who said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every

creature." Please respond after each petition, "Lord, hear us."

Lord, you consoled Martha and Mary in their distress; be close to us

as we mourn for our avian friend.

In the birds you have given us a sign of our own mortal nature’s being

lifted into the heavens by your Spirit; comfort us in our sorrow.

At your baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon you in the form of a

dove; give us faith to commit N. to your loving and tender care.

Father of all, at creation your Spirit hovered over the chaos like a bird

hovering over her nest, and you care for even the fall of the sparrow;

receive our beloved bird into your heavenly dwellings.

Creator of the Universe, you love everything that you have made. We

pray to you for N. and for all those whom we love but see no longer.

Grant to them eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them. May

their souls, and the souls of all the departed, by the mercy of God, rest

in peace. Amen.

Scripture Readings

Genesis 8:6-12 (RSV) At the end of forty days Noah opened the window

of the ark which he had made, and sent forth a raven; and it went to

and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent

forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face

of the ground; but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she

returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the

whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her

into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he

sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came back to him in the

evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah

knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited

another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to

him any more.

Deuteronomy 32:9-12a For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his

allotted heritage. He found him in a desert land, and in the howling

waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept

him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that

flutters over its young, spreading out its wings,catching them, bearing

them on its pinions, the Lord alone did lead him.

Job 12:7-10 (RSV) Ask the beasts, and they will teach you, the birds of

the air, and they will tell you; or the plants of the earth, and they will

teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all

these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his

hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

1 Kings 17:1-6 Now Elijah the Tishbite..said to Ahab, "As the Lord the

God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew

nor rain these years, except by my word." And the word of the Lord

came to him, "Depart from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself

by the brook Cherith, that is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from

the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." So he

went and did according to the word of the Lord: he went and dwelt by

the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought

him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the

evening; and he drank from the brook.

PSALM 84:1-6

How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts!*

My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord:

my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.

The sparrow has found her a house

and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young;*

by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

Happy are they who dwell in your house!*

they will always be praising you.

Happy are the people whose strength is in you!*

whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.

Those who go through the desolate valley will find

it a place of springs,*

for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.

They will climb from height to height,*

and the God of Jacob will reveal himself in Zion.

or PSALM 104:1, 10-12, 17-18 (BCP)

Bless the Lord, O my soul;*

O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!

you are clothed with majesty and splendor.

You send the springs into the valleys*

they flow between the mountains.

All the beasts of the field drink their fill from them,*

and the wild asses quench their thirst.

Beside them the birds of the air make their nests*

and sing among the branches.

The trees of the Lord are full of sap,*

the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,

In which the birds build their nests,*

and in whose tops the stork makes his dwelling.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!*

in wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

All of them look to you*

to give them their food in due season.

You give it to them; they gather it;*

you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

You hide your face, and they are terrified;*

you take away their breath,

and they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;*

and so you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord endure for ever;*

may the Lord rejoice in all his works.

or PSALM 147:1-3, 8-12 (BCP)

Hallelujah!

How good it is to sing praises to our God!*

how pleasant it is to honor him with praise!

The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;*

he gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted*

and binds up all their wounds.

He covers the heavens with clouds*

and prepares rain for the earth;

He makes grass the grow upon the mountains*

and green plants to serve mankind.

He provides food for flocks and herds*

and for the young ravens when they cry.

He is not impressed by the might of a horse;*

he has no pleasure in the strength of a man;

But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who await his gracious favor.

1 Cor 15:35-44 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With

what kind of body do they come?" you foolish man! What you sow

does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body

which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or some other

grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of

seed its own body. For not all flesh is alike, but there is one kind for

men, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the

glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and

another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it

with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is

raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It

is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body,

it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a

spiritual body.

Revelations 4:1a, 6-11 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open

door! and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like

crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four

living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living

creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third

living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature

like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six

wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they

never cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who

was and is and is to come!" And whenever the living creatures give

glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who

lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him

who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and

ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, "Worthy art

thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for

thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were

created."

Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus

also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and

the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a

voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well

pleased."

Matthew 6:25-29 Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious

about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about

your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the

body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow

nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds

them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being

anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious

about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they

neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not

arrayed like one of these."

Matthew 10:27-30 (RSV) Jesus said, "What I tell you in the dark, utter

in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the

housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the

soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are

not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the

ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are

all numbered."