the casket of barbara bush arriving at the george herbert walker bush presidential library in texas. she died on tuesday at the age of 92. earlier today, her funeral service was held at satan martins episcopal church in houston. first lady melania trump attended as well as george h w bush and brock obama. bush, first lady hillary that former first lady barbara bush, henry clinton and michelle obama where there -- former laura bush, hillary

clinton, and michelle obama were there. ♪

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>> it is my honor and privilege on behalf of this family in saint martins episcopal church to look at you to the service of celebration for the life and service and faith of barbara pierce bush. and letu please stand us sing with strength our opening hymn, praise to the lord support. . he plunged into the sea, locked -- praise to the lord. ♪

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naturally since of your goodness. live of your countenance upon peace throughthem jesus christ our lord.

>> by the resurrection and the life saved the lord. he shall believe in me and shall never die -- you shall believe in me shall never die. redeemer lives with --

lives. and though this body be destroyed, until i see god i shall see for myself and my eyes behold andd -- shall not as a stranger. test liveslive with to himself or die unto himself. whether we live or die, we are the lord's. blessed are the dead who die in the war -- die in the lord. the lord be with you. oh god whose mercies cannot be numbered, accept our prayers on

behalf of thy servant, barbara pierce bush, and grant her entrance into the land of flight and joy in fellowship of our state -- fellowship of our in the holyive spirit with our god, now and forever. please be seated for the lessons. >> for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. and a time tot pluck up what is planted. break to heal, a time to down, and a time to build up.

a time to mourn and a time to dance. a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together. a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to throw away. a time to keep silence and a time to speak. what gain do workers have from he has made everything suitable for his time. they cannot find out what god has done from the beginning to the end. i know there is nothing better for them than to be happy. it is god's gift that all should eat and rink and take pleasure

in their toil. i know that whatever god does and doors forever, nothing can be added to it. god has done this. -- god has done this all shall stand before him. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god. ♪

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>> a reading from proverbs. a capable wife who can find, she's far more precious then join -- then joy. she does them good and not harm.

she brings her food from far away. and passed for her servant girl, she considered the steel and advised that the fruits of their hand. >> she guards herself with strength and makes her arms strong. she perceives that her merchandise is profitable. hands to the dispatch and her hands hold the spindle. the poor her hands to and reaches out her hands to the needy. she is not afraid, for all her

household is close in crimson. her clothing is fine linen and purple. her husband is known in the city gates. she applies the merchant paid -- merchant. strength and dignity are her clothing. she opens her mouth with wisdom. she looks well to the ways of her household. and does not eat the bread of idleness. -- children rise up to read rise up. he praises her.

but a woman vain, who fears the lord should be praised. let her works praise the city gates. >> about a decadelet her works y gates. ago, i was on the washington mall for the national book festival, on my way to give a talk about the book i had written when a woman ran up to me, which does not happen enough, believe me.

she said oh, my god, it is you. i said, well, yes, you know. kind of hard to argue with. she said i just admire you so much. i love your book. it meant a lot to me and my family. would you wait right here? i want to buy your new book and have you sign it. i said, yes, ma'am. i was feeling kind of full of myself. when she came back with john grisham's latest novel. [laughter] >> it gets worse. a saturday inon september and i was on my way to maine to see the 41st president of the united states and mrs. bush. i was a saturday feeling ratherr myself. i told this story and mrs. bush looked across the table, looks me in the eye, and i was

thinking here comes some motherly sympathy. [laughter] >> it is called telegraphing. here it comes. she said, well, how you think poor john grisham would feel? [laughter] >> he is a very handsome man. [laughter] 0-for-2.was but, it was a fair and funny point, as were so many of the points barbara bush made in her long and consequential life. known as barbara, bar, mom, mother, ganny, the silver fox, and the enforcer, she was candid and comforting, steadfast and straightforward, honest and loving. ladyra bush was the first

of the greatest generation. fiancee and the wife of a world war ii naval aviator, she waited and prayed in the watches of the night. during the war, she worked at a nuts and bolts factory in new york and she joined george h.w. bush and the great adventure of postwar texas. moving fiancee and the wife of a world war to odeszsa in 1948, 70 summers ago. mother would send ones of soap and detergent the grounds they probably did not have that type of thing in west texas. [laughter] >> mrs. bush raised a family, endured the loss of a daughter to leukemia and kept everything and everyone together. as the wife of one president and

the mother of another, she holds the distinction that belongs to only one other american in the long history of the republic, abigail adams who was present at the creation. from the white house to camp david to walker's point, hours bushes and calm, the govern ied in a spirit of congeniality, civility and praise. instinctively generous, barbara and george bush put country above party, the common good above the lyrical gain, -- political gain, and service to others above the settling of scores. the couple had met at a christmas dance in greenwich in 1941. not quite three weeks after pearl harbor. she was wearing a red and green holiday dress. he endeavored to get introduced.

she was 16. he was 17. he was the only boy she ever kissed. her children, she remarked, always wanted to throw up when they heard that. [laughter] >> and a letter to barbara during the war, george h.w. bush wrote "i love you, precious, with all my heart. and to know that you love me means my life. how often i have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours someday. how lucky our children will be to have a mother like you." and if you ask them, they would be the first to say they were. i once asked president bush if he had known even in the beginning how resilient mrs. bush would be. no, he said. eyes.coming to his

he went on, she's the rock of the family, the leader of the family. i kind of float above it all, but she is always there. always there for me and the kids. just amazing. debutante from rye, willing to make our own way, have adventures. was not always easy for her but never a word of complaint. just love and strength. opinions too, of course, lots of those. she was strength itself. if her tongue were sometimes sharp, she was as honest with herself as she was with all of us. when she once unwisely described a female political opponent of her husband's as a word that she reportedich, that her family had begun calling her the poet laureate. [laughter]

>> and she loved the stories of how when her eldest son, the 43rd president of the united states, took up painting. his instructor asked him if he ever used the color -- umber. but he didied, remember that from his mother's cooking. [laughter] house, sheown the would say approvingly. mother and son needled each other until the end. in her final days while the 43rd president was visiting, mrs. bush asked one of her doctors if she would like to know why george w. turned out the way he had. she announced i smoked and drank while i was pregnant. [laughter] >> she was a point of life. in 1989 when many americans lived in ignorance about hiv/aids, mrs. bush went away

home for infected infants and hugged children there, as well as an adult male patient. the images sent a powerful message, one of compassion, of love and of acceptance. ae believed literacy, fundamental civil and human rights, and gave the cause for all. at a televised event commemorating the bicentennial of the constitution, mrs. bush met a man named j.t. a pace. the 63-year-old son of a former sharecropper. mr. pace, who had only recently become literate, was scheduled to read the constitution's preamble aloud. backstage, he was nervous. mrs. bush asked if it would help if they read it together on the broadcast. mr. pace agreed.

soon, the two of them stood on stage reading in unison. as mr. pace grew comfortable, mrs. bush lowered her voice and lowered it again and then again until at last j.t. pace was reading entirely on his own. he wept and he read. supported by barbara bush who stood to his side, now silent. her work was done when his voice spoke of the unending search for more perfect union. voice,ce had found his not least because barbara bush had lent him her heart. day last summer on a sunny in maine, talk turned to world war ii and that terrible

saturday, september 2, 1944 when lieutenant junior grade george herbert walker bush was shot down in a bombing raid. two of his crew mates did not make it, becoming casualties of war. lieutenant bush parachuted out of the bomber, plunged into the surface,e up onto the and waited scared and retching. had young bushmen captured by the japanese, he would have been held captive on an island home to horrific war crimes, including cannibalism. bar, he would say in later years, i could have been an including cannibalism. appetizer. in truth, it could have been closer a call.

in may, in their great old age, lost in reminiscence, she said, you must have been saved for a reason. i know there had to be a reason. president bush sat silently for the briefest of moments and then raised that big left hand and pointed his finger across the table at his wife. you, he said hoarsely, you are the reason. >> a reading from the second letter of paul to the corinthians. we do not lose heart, even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

for this slight moment of affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure because we look not at what can be seen but what cannot be seen. for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. we know that if the earthly tent is destroyed, we have a building from god, a house not made from him eternal in the heavens. we have grown longing to be close with our heavenly dwelling. if indeed when we have taken it found naked.not be for while we are still in this tent, we grow under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. he who has prepared us for this very thing is god.

who has given us the spirit as a guarantee. we are always confident even though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the lord for we walk by faith, not by sight. yes, we do have confidence and would rather be away from the body and at home with the lord. so whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god. >> would you please stand and together let us sing on page 11, the verses from "amazing grace." ♪

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>> the holy gospel of our lord, jesus christ, according to john. jesus said everything that the father gives me will come to me and anyone who comes to me, i will never drive away, for i have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. this is the will of him who sent me. that i should lose nothing of all that he has given me. but, raise it up on the last day. this is indeed the will of my

father that all who see the sun and believe in him may have eternal life. i will raise them up on the last day. the gospel of the lord. >> praise to you, lord, jesus christ. ♪ ♪

♪ >> it is hard to think about

life without that force of nature that was our very special friend, barbara bush. she was smart, strong, fun, and feisty, even sometimes making headlines she regretted. nature that was our very special the world saw that and like we did, they admired and loved her for it. the world saw a remarkable and selfless companion to her beloved husband george. it was extraordinary how she managed their rambunctious household in 29 different homes in 17 cities. at the same time, she fully participated in his amazing career, including too many political campaigns to count. starting from the time he was chairman of the harris county

republican party, to becoming president of the united states. back in houston, they continued their dedication to volunteerism and exhausting rounds of good work. rather than bemoan their many moves, she laughed and said, one thing i can say about george, he may not be able to keep a job, but he certainly is not boring. [laughter] >> the world saw a compassionate but strict mother, who inspired her children with tender love and firm lessons, and when needed, the fear of god. when we saw her and george together with their five children, with their 17 grandchildren and seven great grands, we knew they represented the very best. as we watched their brood

wisecrack with one another or work together on a volunteer program or campaign, we thought, how wonderful it would be if more families could be so cohesive. barbara, the tough but loving enforcer, was the secret sauce of this extraordinary family. the world respects her passion and effectiveness in equipping those who cannot read with the skill to do so. we all celebrate her vision and tenacious dedication to literacy. of course, the world has seen barbara's many public contributions, but what the world may not have seen is an amazing, caring, and beautiful friend that bar was to so many of us. when jim and i first arrived in

washington in 1975, i was overwhelmed trying to manage our newly-blended family of seven children and an intimidating environment. fortunately, bar took me under her wing. she encouraged me. she offered suggestions, and she invited us to lunch almost every sunday. those hamburger lunches that always ended with an incredible dessert, included famous personalities, as well as many unknowns who they loved, and this helped us become part of the washington world. when we returned to washington in 1981, george was vice president and jim was white house chief of staff. bar encouraged me to use his position in the reagan

administration to promote causes i cared about. this really pushed me out of my comfort zone, but i followed her wise lead. she supported my efforts to help the homeless by holding meetings in the vice president's house. what a blessing. this meant many came who would otherwise not have given our group the time of day. she also hosted homeless advocates to help people understand about the plight of those who live on the street. even though that was not a popular position in the administration. bar taught us volumes about who our neighbors are and how to love them. because of their own tragic loss of daughter robin she knew

, how to comfort those who were suffering. my jim was among them as she helped him during his first wife's losing battle with cancer. her motivation to help others was never about herself, but about giving love and support to those in need. her friendship did not stop with people she knew. barbara bush was penpals with people she had never met. she corresponded for several years with a young girl who named her heifer after barbara. [laughter] >> the child sent frequent updates on the bovine barbara bush, which competed in the houston rodeo and livestock show one year and finished in eighth place. i was sorry for my little friend, barbara said later, but

was slightly relieved as i am not sure i could have stood the headlines, "barbara bush wins the backstock show." [laughter] >> about friendship, she said, the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people, your family, your friends, and coworkers, and even strangers you meet along the way. she was the gold standard of what it meant to be a friend because she was motivated by the desire to show god's love to each and every one of his children that she met. c.s. lewis once defined friendship as the instrument by which god reveals to each of us the beauties of others.

bar's beauty was evident in every day of her life. saying goodbye to our special brand is painful, but it is a great comfort in knowing that we will see this good and faithful servant again one day. thank you, dear lord, for bringing barbara pierce bush this vibrantly beautiful human being into the world and especially for bringing her friendship into our lives. amen.

>> as i stand here today to share a few words about my mom, i feel her looming presence behind me. i know exactly what she is thinking right now. jeb, keep it short, do not drag this out. people have already heard enough remarks already, and most of all, do not get weepy. remember, i spent decades laughing and living a life with these people and that is true. barbara bush filled our lives with laughter and joy and in the case of her family, she was our

teacher and role model on how to live a life of purpose and meaning. on behalf of our family, we want to thank the thousands and thousands of expressions of condolence and love for our precious mother. we want to think mom's caregivers for their compassion ate care in the last months of their life. i want to thank neil and maria further next-door family love of our parents and john and susan on behalf of our family, we want it may have been long, but it was beautiful. [laughter] for their eloquent words. we want to thank russ and laura for their friendship and care of our parents and we want to thank all who are gathered here to celebrate the life of barbara bush. it is appropriate to express gratitude because we learn to do that at an early age. you see, our mom was our first and most important teacher. sit up, look people in the eye, say please and thank you, do your homework, quit whining, and stop complaining, eat your

broccoli, yes, dad, she said that. [laughter] the little things we learned became habits and they lead to bigger things like be kind, always tell the truth, never disparage anyone, serve others, treat everyone as you would want to be treated, and love your god with your heart and soul. what a blessing to have a teacher like that 24/7. to be clear, her students were not perfect. that is an understatement. mom got us through difficult times with consistent, take it to the bank, unconditional, but tough love. she called her styled the benevolent dictatorship, but honestly, it wasn't always benevolent. [laughter] >> when our children got older, they would spend more time visiting their grandparents. all it would take would the one

week and when they came home, all of a sudden, they were pitching in around the house. they did not fight as much. and they were actually nice to be with. [laughter] i attribute this to the unbridled fear of the ganny lecture and the habit-forming effects of better behavior taking hold. even in her 90's, mom could strike fear into her grandchildren, nephews, nieces and children if someone did not there are no safe spaces or microaggressions allowed with barbara bush. but in the end, every grandchild new their grammy loved them. learned a lot more from our mom and ganny. we learned not to take ourselves too seriously, we learned that humor is a joy that 14ub shared. some of my greatest memories are participating in our family dinners when mom would get into it most of the time with george w. as you might imagine and having us all laughing to

tears. we learned to strive to be genuine and authentic by the best role model in the world. her authentic plastic pearls. y not coloring her hair. she was beautiful until the day she died. her hugs of an hiv aids patient at a time her own mother wouldn't do it. her standing by a man with rhyming poetry. and a thousand other ways barbara peers bush was real. finally, our family has had a front row seat for the most amazing love story. through a multitude of moves, from new haven to ventura to bakersfield to compton, midland, houston, d.c., new york, d.c., beijing, houston, to d.c. back to houston and kenny bunkport. their love was a constant in our lives. y dad is a phenomenal letter

writer and he would write mom on their wedding anniversaries which totalled an amazing 73 years. here's one. will you marry me? oops writer and he would write mom on their wedding i forgot. we did that 49 years ago. i was very happy on that day in 1945 but i'm even happier today. you have given me joy that few men know. you have made our boys into men by balling them out and then right away by loving them. .ou itch climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world a even that cannot hold candle to being barbara's husband. mom used to tell me now george don't walk ahead. little did she know i was only candle to trying to keep up with barbara. i love you. the last time my mom went into the hospital, i think dad god sick on purpose so that he could be with her. that's my theory at least because literally a day later he showed up with an illness. he came into her room when she was sleeping and held her hand.

his hair was standing straight up, he had on the mask to improve his breathing, he was wearing a hospital gown, in other words, he looked like hell. mom opened her eyes and said, my god, george. ou are devastatingly handsome. every nurse, doctor, staffer had to run to the hallway because they all started crying. i hope you can see why we think our mom and our dad our teachers and models for our entire family and many others. finally, the last time i was with her i asked her about dying. she ready to go? was she sad? without missing a beat she said, jeb, i believe in jesus and he is my savior. i don't want to leave your dad in a know i will be

beautiful in a beautiful place. mom, we look forward to being with you and robin and all of god's children. we love you. >> if you will bow your heads in prayer for just a moment. almighty god, the source of all comfort be close to us in our grief. the source of all gifts give uu us grateful hearts. and the source of new life. may we celebrate barbara's new life with you. this i pray in christ's name. amen. >> amen. >> ok. so i begin with an apology. i realize this is an historic moment and i messed up a minute ago. it's good for a priest to apologize from time to time. i announced the hymn a little too early. thank you for going along with the hymn.

have to tell you we planned this service carefully. about three weeks ago barbara said to me, russ, i don't know if i want to sing amazing grace. everybody sings that. and i this service carefully. said, well bar, everybody ra knows that. and then i messed it up. so it's like bar got the last laugh on me on that one. so thanks. again. said, despite this distinguished gathering today, i have to tell you that i think there are only two who can fill this place the way it's filled today. the first of those is jesus christ. the second of those is barbara bush. so we are grateful for your gathering here today. the word offering came to mind, and then i heard barbara say don't even think about it.

ganny's garden, given by friends and loved ones is a lovely spot to rest and reflect near downtown. there you will find on a sculpted bench a wide brimmed sun hat the kind barbara wore in ore garden and an open copy of her favorite book. jane austin used one of her characters in that book to utter a wonderful truth. i declare there is no enjoyment like reading. how much sooner one tires of book. g than a reading literacy for all was as you know barbara bush's great passion. every great book has a good beginning. but also a wonderful end. and so the life story of barbara bush as best described as a consummate good read.

we gather today in this holy space that has been the worshiping community of president george h.w. bush and first lady barbara bush for more than 50 years. it is an humbling privilege to speak as her pastor, her friend, her priest, and her confidante, but what an interesting thing to be a confidante to a woman who has no secrets. what you saw was what you got. hat was in here came out here. the author of our lesson in proverbs muses on the gifts of a loving wife and mother. a godly woman. all of which barbara had. she believed in and practiced the principles of honesty, lerance, decency, courage,

and strength. and perhaps above all humility. she lived according to the mantra of the bush family for many years. don't get caught up in the big me. one day, we were walking together on the beach in kenny bunkport, barbara was washing off her own shoes and a fellow came up to her and said, hey, you look a lot like barbara bush. and without missing a beat barbara just said yes, i hear hat a lot. she was a friend of people of every political persuasion and race and religion. her generosity of spirit did not draw lines that kept others out. hers was a life of circles that sought to bring others in. here in houston we saw her at major galas, behind home plate at the astro's games, praying

here in the pews, catching up while pushing her own buggy through wall greenes. and her humor we've heard so much hundreds stories we could tell. one day after sharing prayers and communion with the president and bar. my wife leaned over to kiss the president on the cheach at which pointed one of her beloved dogs nipped her wife on the calf. this is a badge of honor. apologies came but the next morning on our doorstep was a beautiful orchid with a hand written note, dear laura, i'm so sorry about the bite. enough to ked good eat. we could talk endlessly about how great this woman is. but we are reminded in the lesson that there comes a time for everything, even the end of

a great story. the least of ba bra's virtues i think was patience. f you're sharing a meal or waiting on her favorite drink, bourbon and water for the record -- i pause to say with all the talking about drinking and all the language from the pull pitt we've done a great deal of evang liz m from my church today. thank you. and i mean that sincerely. if things were slowing up barbara would say why the holdup? barbara liked to sigh things move along and i think that's why we're here today. barbara was becoming impatient. she was tired of waiting on the next chapter. so, barbara was becoming impatient. she welcomed it on a 17. but perhaps it will help all of us who are left behind. jesus was barbara's pathway to

god. she honored and believed that others found god in their own way but for her being a christian mattered. we were talking one day a few years ago, and she kind of paused and looked me in the eye and she said, i am a christian. i do believe. and then she said, i want to be confimpled. she said do i have to take a class? and i said take one? bar, you could teach one. so in may of 2015, she and some family gathered in our chapel as she confirmed her faith in christ, not something she wore on her shoulder, just something very personal and very real. she simply confirmed what we believe, what we read in the lesson that we live not by what we see but by our faith and those things that we don't see. so as paul wrote, even on days like today, we don't lose heart

, yes barbara's health declined her s we just heard though is wasting away our inner nature is being renewed every day, for what is mortal paul writes by the grace and mercy of god is swallowed up by life. we find barbara's jesus in the gospel lesson. jesus who says all who come to me will be welcomed. jesus offers the hope that life here when it comes to its is wa our inner nature is being tural close is changed not ended. some books have no true ending. epilogue. an a hint to imagine what rests beyond the closing chapter. can we imagine epilogue. a hint this day, a with her parents, with

your parents, sir. and with your dear robin. together again. my guess is she has already hunted down jane austin and has said well how did things turn out with mr. darcy and elizabeth bennett? or knowing barbara, she may be telling jane how things should have turned out. the meantime, until each of our time comes, she would want us to carry on, to live as she lived, fully and deeply, to laugh and laugh often, to love l that god sends our way, to serve one another, the common good, and especially the purposes of god. so leave here today not to grieve but to rejoice. as we leave we will sing by

joyful. choice, joyful, we adore thee. barbara would want us to celebrate her great next chapter. she has been raised to new life, for in joyful. joyful, this story you never turn the page and see the two words, the end. arbara bush's story has just begun again, and the best is yet to come as she lives in that holy city of god. begun again, and the best is men.

>> please stand. it is the tradition in the episs copal church that we stand to affirm the things we believe. so in certain hope of the resurrection to life eternal invites you to turn to the top of page 6 and together let us reaffirm the faith that we share with our dear barbara bush by saying the creed. i believe in god, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in screefs christ his only son our lord who was conceived by the holy ghost born of the virgin mary, suffered under pontius pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. he descended into hell the third day he rose again from the dead he eye skended into

heaven and sit on the right hand of god the father oo almighty. from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. i believe in the holy ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life ever lasting. amen. let us pray together in the words that jesus taught us saying our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thigh name. thigh kingdom come. thi will be done. on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the ower and the glory forever and

ever. amen. almighty god who has knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy son our lord. thy light seech thee and thy peace. who have l to those been baptize may die to sin and rise to newness of life, and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection. >> amen. >> grant to us who are still in our kill grimmage and who walk as yet by faith that thy holy spirit may lead us in holeieness and righteousness all our days. >> amen. >> grant to thy people pardon and peace that we may be cleansed from all our sins and

serve thee with a quiet mind. grant to all who mourn a sure confidence in thy fatherly care that casting all their grief on thee they may know the consolation of thy love. >> amen. >> give courage in faith to berreefed that they may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a reasonable and holy hope in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. >> amen. >> help us we pray in the midst of things we they may have strength to meet the days ahead in the comfort of a reasonable cannot understa to believe in trust in the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins and the rezzregs to life ever lasting. >> amen. >> grant that increasing in knowledge and love of thee barbara may go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in thy heavenly kingdom. >> amen.

>> grant us with all who have of the the hope resurrection of the resurrection to have our cons mation and bliss in thy eternal and ever lasting glory and with all thy saints to receive the crown of life which is promised to all who share in the victory of jesus christ who live and reign with thee in the holy spirit, one god forever and ever. >> amen. >> please be seated. >> and when she shall die, take her and cut her out in little stars, and she will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with the night and pay no worship to the gareish sun.

>> our service continues in the middle of page 8. give rest oh christ to your serve nt with your saints. where sorrow and pain are no more neither sighing but life jfer lasting. -- ever lasting. you only are immortal the creater and maker of mankind and we are mortal.

formed of the earth and to earth shall we return. r so you did ordane when you created me saying you are dust and to dust you shall return all of us go down to the dust. yet even at the grave we make our song hallelujah. >> give rest oh christ to your servant sorrow and pain are no more. ivine life ever lasting. >> into your hands oh merciful savior we commend your servant barbara, acknowledge we humbly beseech you a sheep of your own fold. a lamb of your own flock. a sinner of your own redeeming. arms of r into the

your mercy and to the blessed rest of ever lasting peace and into the glorious company of the saints and light. amen. we are about to receive a blessing from the bishop of the great episs copal diocese of the state of texas. but before that blessing, and then i will offer a dismissal. and then by direction of barbara bush we will leave as we sing joyful, joyful, we adore thee. as the family and the clergy depart during the singing of hymn at the conclusion of that hymn i would ask that everyone else please be seated and please not leave until you are directed to do so by the ushers. bishop. >> unto god's gracious mercy nd protection we committed you. the lord bless you and keep you. the lord make face to shine upon you and to be gracious unto you. the lord lift up the light of

his count nens upon you and give you peace. and may the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy ghost be amongst you and remain with you always. amen. >> let us go forth. in the name of christ. >> thanks be to god.

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