“Gracious God, our heavenly Father, we are glad that there is no trial of earth so great but that Thou hast comfort and strength for Thy children. We are glad that we can come to Thee this morning and know that Thou art our Father; glad for the great love wherewith Thou dost love us even in our sinful, mortal condition, not because we are lovable, but because Thou art love.LS 465.2

“We thank Thee for the gift of Thine only-begotten Son; that He died in our behalf, and that in Him Thou canst take such unworthy mortals as we are, and fit them for the glorious inheritance of which we have been hearing.LS 465.3

“We thank Thee that Thy power is so great that Thou canst subdue and conquer all in us that is unlovely; that Thou canst take the poor, base alloys of our human nature, and make them the genuine gold of God.LS 465.4

“We thank Thee for all the precious promises and assurances of Thy word; for all its faithful warnings; for all its holy precepts; for the blessed hope of our Lord's coming which lies just before us, when He shall take this earth and change it by His own power for an everlasting home for all His children.LS 466.1

“We thank Thee, our Father, for what Thou hast done for us in this last great gospel movement. We thank Thee for the work Thou hast wrought through Thy handmaid, our sister, who lies before us this morning; for all the counsel and instruction Thou hast given by her; for all the work Thou hast wrought through her; for the institutions she has helped to establish; for the mighty message she has borne.LS 466.2

“And while our hearts are inexpressibly sad this morning, our Father, still we praise Thee for what Thou hast done in taking poor, feeble humanity and making such an instrument for the building up of Thy work.LS 466.3

“Come near to the hearts that are torn this morning. Pour into them the balm of Thy Spirit, of Thy healing goodness. Fill all the vacancies that are made by death, with Thine own precious presence. Help them that mourn, to look beyond this time to the glorious morning which lies just before us, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall heal every wound that sin has made, shall comfort every heart that trusts in Him, and shall make all things eternally new.LS 466.4

“We pray that Thou wouldst help us to learn the lesson of brevity of human life; of the necessity of giving ourselves to Thee; of the great encouragement Thou dost give us, in this life that has just closed, as to what Thou wilt do for those who lend themselves to Thy service.LS 466.5

“We know that our sister is safe. We can leave her with Thee. Thou wilt speak in a little while, and the dead will come forth to immortality. But we pray for the living. We pray for those who are left to meet the struggles and the trials and the conflicts of these last days. How weak we are—how utterly incapable of meeting any of these things! Our hope this hour is in Thee. And we pray that the great God who has called us will fit us for His service; will nerve us for stronger effort; will give us firmer faith, more diligence, and greater grace to meet the trials and the conflicts; that He will save us from all the deceptions and allurements and snares of the enemy; that He will give us a clearer vision to see what God would have each and all to be and to do; and that He will give us speedy triumph at last at the coming of our Lord.LS 467.1

“And so, Father, on this sad day, we leave these things in Thy hands, and pray that the great God who has guided, who has been with us, will guide every step of the way; guide us out of all the wilderness of doubt and trial; guide us to the land of perfect day, where there will be no more sin, no more sorrow, and where we shall bask in the smiles of our blessed Redeemer, who has conquered sin and therefore is victor over death. And grant, O our Father, that in that great day, those assembled here may be among the number who shall live forever with the good who have gone and those who shall remain until Thy coming. We ask it all in Jesus’ name. Amen.”LS 467.2

Scripture Reading

Address By Elder Daniells