Funeral reading

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Joseph Scriven, 1855

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Scriven, 1855, is a hymn read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 4 minutes read aloud, usually by everyone together. It is in the public domain, but we do not set the words here — the note below says what to bring instead, and why.

Why the words are not printed here

Public domain. Easy to sing, which matters when half the room is not managing to.

Where it comes from

Joseph M. Scriven wrote What a Friend We Have in Jesus as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother in Ireland while he was in Canada, and published it anonymously, receiving full credit only in the 1880s. The tune was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868.

What it says

Jesus is a friend who carries all our sins and griefs, and we lose so much peace and bear so much needless pain because we do not bring everything to him in prayer. Are we weak, burdened, in trouble? Do not be discouraged; take it to the Lord. It is a simple, comforting hymn, written by a son to his mother, and it treats prayer as talking to a friend who is always there.

Easy on a congregation that is struggling to get through the service. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: comfort · carrying trouble · traditional · singable.

Who it suits

A traditional Protestant funeral, especially for someone whose faith was simple and practical. It is easy to sing, which matters when half the room is struggling, and many older guests will know it by heart. It suits someone who carried others’ troubles, and families who want comfort rather than grandeur. Because Scriven wrote it to comfort his own mother from across an ocean, it also fits a funeral where a son or daughter far from home is giving the tribute, or a family scattered across countries.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Anywhere in the service; often after the readings, or before the prayers so it leads naturally into them. The congregation sings.

Reading it aloud

Sung through by the room, allow about 4 minutes, depending on how many verses the venue’s book carries and how slowly the organist takes it.

Choose the verses with the family; three is usual.
It is a gentle, flowing tune. If the room is quiet, ask the musician to play the first line through before the singing starts.
If prayers follow, you can lead straight into them with “Let us take it to the Lord in prayer.”
If the hymn has a family story behind it, tell it in one sentence, then let the singing speak.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” take to read aloud?

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” takes about 4 minutes 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 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”?

Everyone together, rather than one reader. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” runs about 4 minutes and needs the words in front of the room — in an order of service, on a screen, or led line by line by the officiant.

Can “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Public domain. Easy to sing, which matters when half the room is not managing to.

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.

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