Edited by James R. Esther and Donald J. Bruggink. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1987. 85 pp. $3.95.
This official worship book of the Reformed Church in America contains Order of Worship for Christian Burial." The old Dutch Reformed Church Order stipulation that a funeral is a family occasion and not an ecclesiastic service has been completely eclipsed here. The order is one of the most explicit worship services I have seen. The introduction specifies that "The Order of Worship for Christian Burial should be conducted in the church, preferably when the congregation can be present."
The Order follows the regular worship order of Approach (including Confession and Pardon), Word of God, and Response to God. One even expects a Lord's Supper liturgy, especially since the Prayer borrows from the communion prayer (including a singing of the Sanctus)—but the option of communion is not mentioned. This is a strongly biblical service, but most pastors will want to adapt it for local use.