Anyone, especially any Christian, who pastors churches or thinks they might be responsible for participating in a funeral would do well to bookmark or download (or both) the following two resources.
The first is generally useful: a booklet from Co-operative Funeralcare (UK) called “Well Chosen Words.” This is a sensitive, well-written and brief guide to writing eulogies. I gather from the booklet eulogies are more common in the US than in the UK, but perhaps no better crafted. This guide will help shape thoughts and outline the responsibilities of a eulogist in a realistic manner. Click the cover image (with the tulips) at this site to download the PDF version.
The second is the current (1987) funeral rites of the Scottish Episcopal Church. (Scroll halfway down for the download options.) This is fine in its own right, but the last page of the funeral service (if you’re reading it in PDF) is a framework for a mourner to craft a prayer. This is very wise, as the desire to say a public prayer may be high but the burden of having to do something so personal and unfamiliar possibly undermines the intent.
Webby folks: Note the site, which is appropriately scaled for this small denomination (about 44,000). The content software is WordPress, the same as this blog.