Funeral reading
In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)
Book of Common Prayer
“In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)” (Book of Common Prayer) is a prayer read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 35 seconds read aloud, usually by the officiant. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay. In the midst of life we are in death: of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer directs that when they come to the grave, while the body is made ready to be laid into the earth, the priest shall say, or the priest and clerks shall sing, these words.
What it says
A human being has only a short time to live, and it is full of trouble. We spring up and are cut down like flowers, and pass like shadows that never stay still. Even in the middle of life, death is all around us, so where can we turn for help except to God, who is rightly displeased with our sins? It is stark and humble, admitting how fragile life is before any comfort is offered. The 1662 text goes on with a plea for mercy; this is the opening, which is what is usually read.
Bleak and very old. Some families want exactly this; check before you use it. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: opening a graveside service · traditional · short · formal.
Who it suits
A traditional Anglican or Episcopal burial, and families who want the old words and are not frightened by them. It suits older congregations, people who loved the prayer book, and services in old churchyards. Some families find “full of misery” and “justly displeased” too bleak, so check before you use it. It is not right for a secular service or for a family who want the service to be mainly a celebration.
Where it goes in the ceremony
At the graveside, as the coffin is brought to the grave and made ready, before the committal. The officiant says it; in a church with a choir, it may be sung.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 70 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 30 seconds of reading.
- Read slowly and plainly. The language is old and the room needs time to take it in.
- “Never continueth in one stay” means never stays in one place. Say it as written; the meaning carries.
- Pause after “In the midst of life we are in death:”. It is the line people know.
- Go straight from this into the committal, without a long gap or extra commentary.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)” take to read aloud?
“In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)” takes about 35 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)”?
Usually the officiant rather than a guest reader. “In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)” runs about 35 seconds, which sits inside the part of the service the officiant is already leading, and keeping it there means it is carried by the person who has rehearsed it.
Can “In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Words of Committal (Book of Common Prayer, 1662) — short form25 secondsThe committal words that follow it at the grave
- Psalm 90:1–6, 10, 12a minute and a halfThe psalm about the brevity of life behind these words
- Job 19:23–2740 secondsI know that my redeemer liveth, from the same service
- The Lord's Prayer40 secondsMatthew 6, King James Bible
- Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)20 secondsKing James Bible
- El Malei Rachamima minute and a halfTraditional memorial prayer