“In life, in death, and in life beyond death,” you are with us, Loving God.* You go with us to the end of this life, but you welcome us to the life that begins when this one ends.
We thank you that [name] has come to this decision to end their life on [day, month] with family members and good friends around them.
We thank you that for [name] the pain and helplessness that have grown so terrible will be over and done with for always, and God’s peace will be [name’s] eternal peace.
We pray for family members and friends who find it difficult to accept [name’s] decision. Be with them as they come to terms with this new reality, and encourage them to continue their love and support.
We pray for [name’s] partner in the hard place of saying goodbye, and enable them to prepare for the grief work that will follow [name’s] death.
We pray for others we know who are dying, that they may have the courage and the encouragement to decide for themselves when they must die.
“In life, in death, and in life beyond death” you are with us, Loving God.* Go with us now as we prepare for an ending and for a new beginning, held and embraced by your love. Amen.
*Adapted from A New Creed, The United Church of Canada, 1968; rev. 1980, 1995.
—By David Sparks, United Church of Canada minister, and Sheila Noyes, former co-president of Dying with Dignity Canada