A Good Ending

I purchased this book when I was in the middle of the Licensed Lay Worship Leaders course.  I knew that there could come a time when I would need a resource to help me to help a family say goodbye to a loved one, to be with the dying and know how to be helpful and supportive.  We are all called to be ministers – in one way or another – for one another.  With this book, I feel I have a complete toolkit to help me navigate the difficult and uncertain waters of death and dying.

In the preface David says “A Good Ending arose from my pastoral experience as a minister, called on many occasions to be with dying persons and their families, to conduct services for members of my pastoral charges, and to conduct many more for individuals who had little or no Christian faith.

It is the sort of book I would dearly like to have had at the beginning of my ministry.  So it is primarily for those who are beginning in Christian ministry, both lay or in one of the ordered streams of ministry.  It is also for those who are facing the death of a well-loved family member and want insights about what is going on, how the death of their loved one might be celebrated, and how they might seek help if the grieving process is not going well.

It is not a handbook about what you must do or what you should say to a dying person or their family members; rather, I hope it will help you find your own path and your own words.  The same goes for the service, memorial, or celebration.  There are many examples of prayers and meditations that you may wish to use exactly as they are printed here, or you may want to revise and modify them to meet the different situations that you encounter...”