Selecting Readings for Memorial Services

After cremations, one of the cremation services provided in Phoenix, AZ, memorial services may be held for the deceased at a later date. Readings are often included in memorial services. These readings can be poetry, prose, scriptures, or quotes, but they should give mourners insight into who the deceased was and what mattered to them.

Planning funeral and memorial services involves making a lot of decisions about how to best honor and remember loved ones who have died and what they would want as a final goodbye.

The task may seem overwhelming at first, but having an active part in these decisions can be an important part of the grieving process. And one way we can take an active part is by selecting the readings for the service. These readings, along with the music we select, ensure a meaningful, personal, and appropriate memorial service for those we love.

Many people assume that readings at funerals and memorial services are governed by strict rules, and are dependent upon the religious faith of the deceased. This is far from the reality, however. In fact, the readings used in the majority of today’s services often come from an endless variety of sources both religious and secular, and all are considered acceptable at funerals. These readings are generally chosen to honor and reflect upon the person who has died, and to provide comfort and solace to those who are mourning.

But given the seemingly infinite number of sources from which we can select meaningful passages and readings, it can be difficult to know where to begin; just the sheer amount of good and appropriate readings brought up by a single search online can be paralyzing. But the process of choosing the readings that will best honor our loved one, that will serve as an appropriate tribute during the funeral service and a remembrance long after that, is a process that is made much easier by keeping a few simple guidelines in mind.

For example, if your loved one was affiliated with a particular religious tradition or denomination, you will naturally want to choose readings that are a part of that tradition as well. In this case you might choose any number of prayers, parables, Psalms, or biblical verses that were significant or meaningful to the deceased. Or if the deceased did not belong to a specific denomination or subscribe to a religious faith, you could then look to examples of poetry or prose or, even better, to the books that were your loved one’s favorites for any passages that can effectively serve as readings.

Whatever route you take, remember that the readings don’t need to be similar or even come from the same genre. A bible verse can be beautifully and effectively paired with a contemporary poem, just as a Psalm can be beautifully and effectively paired with a passage from a popular novel. Readings from just one or from a combination of all of these can serve as a meaningful part of the service; the important thing is to choose those readings that will best pay tribute to your loved one’s memory. If you give thought and consideration to your choices, they will be significant and comforting to all those in attendance as well.

To learn more about cremation services in Phoenix, AZ, our compassionate and experienced team at Simply Cremation & Funeral Arrangements can assist you. You can come to our funeral home at 16952 W. Bell Rd., #303, Surprise, AZ, 85374, or you can contact us today at (623) 975-9393.