Funeral Service for Sir Ken Dodd OBE 8th November 1927-11th March 2018 Liverpool Cathedral 28th March 2018 at 1pm
The Gathering We stand as the Funeral Procession enters the Cathedral as the Organist plays Intermezzo - Cavalleria Rusticana Pietro Mascagni (1863 1945) When all are in their places, Canon Myles Davies, Acting Dean of Liverpool, says I am the resurrection and the life,' says the Lord. 'Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. John 11. 25,26 The Acting Dean welcomes the congregation and leads a prayer. God of all consolation, your Son Jesus Christ was moved to tears at the grave of Lazarus his friend. Look with compassion on your children in their loss; give to troubled hearts the light of hope, and strengthen in us the gift of faith, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We sing Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, to his feet thy tribute bring; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who like me his praise should sing? Praise him! Praise him! Praise the everlasting King. Praise him for his grace and favour to our fathers in distress; praise him still the same for ever, slow to chide and swift to bless: Praise him! Praise him! Glorious in his faithfulness. Father-like, he tends and spares us, well our feeble frame he knows; in his hands he gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes: Praise him! Praise him! Widely as his mercy flows.
Angels, help us to adore him; ye behold him face to face; sun and moon bow down before him, dwellers all in time and space: Praise him! Praise him! Praise with us the God of grace. We sit. Words: Henry Francis Lyte (1793 1847) Tune: Praise my soul; John Goss (1800 1880) Opening Prayers Canon Paul Rattigan Canon for Discipleship As children of a loving heavenly Father, let us ask his forgiveness, for he is gentle and full of compassion. Lord Jesus, you have shown us the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, your word is a light to our path: Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you are the good shepherd, leading us into everlasting life: Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. May God our Father forgive us our sins, and bring us to the eternal joy of his kingdom where dust and ashes have no dominion. Amen. A moment of silence is kept. The Collect Merciful Father, hear our prayers and comfort us; renew our trust in your Son, whom you raised from the dead; strengthen our faith that Ken and all who have died in the love of Christ will share in his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, now and for ever. Amen. Family Tribute to Sir Ken Tribute to Sir Ken Peter Rogan MBE
The choir sings Another temple waits thee, Lord divine, the temple of my heart, O make it thine! Drive far away the sin that would ensnare; O cleanse thy courts, and bless thine altar there. No voice but thine can make it free, from all that is unworthy thee! Temptations wiles thy sacred courts assail! O hear my cry! Then shall my soul prevail! Another temple waits thee, Lord divine, the temple of my heart, O make it thine! Words: Shapcott Wensley, from the Cantata Olivet to Calvary Music: John Henry Maunder (1858 1920) Tribute to Sir Ken Stephanie Cole OBE The Liverpool String Quartet plays Ave verum corpus Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) O God, you search me and you know me. All my thoughts lie open to your gaze. When I walk or lie down you are before me, even the maker and keeper of my days. Reading Jimmy Tarbuck You know my resting and my rising. You discern my purpose from afar, and with love everlasting you besiege me: in every moment of life and death, you are. Before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you have known its meaning through and through. You are with me beyond my understanding: God of my present, my past and future, too. Although your Spirit is upon me, still I search for shelter from your light. There is nowhere on earth I can escape you: even the darkness is radiant in your sight.
For you created me and shaped me, gave me life within my mother s womb. For the wonder of who I am, I praise you: safe in your hands, all creation is made new. Words: Bernadette Farrell (b.1957) based on Psalm 139 Words copyright 1992 Bernadette Farrell Published by OCP 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland OR 97213 USA The choir sings Psalm 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills : from whence cometh my help. My help cometh even from the Lord : who hath made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : and he that keepeth thee will not sleep. Behold, he that keepeth Israel : shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord himself is thy keeper : the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand; So that the sun shall not burn thee by day : neither the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil : yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in : from this time forth for evermore. Reading John 14. 1-6 Jimmy Cricket Jesus said to his disciples Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. We stand to sing The King of love my Shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am his and he is mine forever. Where streams of living water flow my ransomed soul he leadeth, and where the verdant pastures grow With food celestial feedeth.
Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me, and on his shoulder gently laid, and home rejoicing brought me. In death s dark vale I fear no ill with thee, dear Lord, beside me; thy rod and staff my comfort still, thy cross before to guide me. Thou spread st a table in my sight; thy unction grace bestoweth; and O what transport of delight from thy pure chalice floweth! And so through all the length of days thy goodness faileth never: good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise within thy house for ever. Words: Henry W. Baker (1821 1877) Tune: Dominus Regit Me; J. B. Dykes (1823 1876) The choir sings Tribute to Sir Ken John Fletcher Author, Producer, Friend God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Words: John 3. 16 17; Music: John Stainer (1840 1901) The choir sings Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come. Address Canon Myles Davies
Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, of that free love the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove, here for a season, then above, O Lamb of God, I come. We sit or kneel. After each prayer Lord of love and laughter, hear our prayer. Words: Charlotte Elliott (1789 1871) Music: John Henry Maunder (1858 1920) Prayers The Reverend Julia Jesson Vicar of St John, Knotty Ash At the conclusion of the prayers we say together God of mercy, entrusting into your hands all that you have made and rejoicing in our communion with all your faithful people, we make our prayers through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. We listen to Absent Friends, sung by Ken Dodd. Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
We stand to sing O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the works thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed: Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, How great thou art! How great thou art! And when I think, how God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin: When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home - what joy shall fill my heart! Then shall I bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, My God, how great thou art! Words: Stuart K. Hine (1899 1989) Tune: How great thou art; Swedish folk melody arranged by Stuart K. Hine Commendation and Farewell The Bishop of Liverpool, The Right Reverend Paul Bayes, leads the Prayer of Commendation and gives the blessing. Ken has fallen asleep in the peace of Christ. We entrust him, with faith and hope in everlasting life, to the love and mercy of our Father and surround him with our love and prayer. In baptism, he was made by adoption a child of God. At the Eucharist he was sustained and fed. God now welcomes him to his table in heaven to share in eternal life with all the saints.
Let us commend Ken to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer. Into your hands, Lord, our faithful creator and most loving redeemer, we commend your servant Ken, for he is yours in death as in life. In your great mercy gather him into your arms and fulfil in him the purpose of your love; that, rejoicing in the light and refreshment of your presence, he may enjoy that life which you have prepared for all those who love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen May God give to you his comfort and his peace, his light and his joy, in this world and the next; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you always. Amen. We remain standing as the Funeral Procession leaves the Cathedral. Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess, I thank the Lord I've been blessed With more than my share of happiness. To me this world is a wonderful place I'm the luckiest human in the human race. I've got no silver and I've got no gold Just a whole lot of happiness in my soul. Happiness to me is an ocean tide a sunset fading on a mountain side, A big old heaven full of stars up above When I'm in the arms of the one I love. Happiness is a field of grain turning its face to the falling rain. I can see it in the sunshine, breathe it in the rain Happiness happiness everywhere Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess I thank the Lord I've been blessed With more than my share of happiness.
A wise old man told me one time That happiness is a frame of mind I hope when you go to measuring a man s success That you don't count my money count my happiness Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess. I thank the Lord I've been blessed With more than my share of happiness. Will miss Ken Dodd he attended Liverpool Cathedral faithfully while I was Dean there. Always friendly, always wise, always funny. May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Tweeted by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. Common Worship: Pastoral Service, material from which is included in this service, is copyright The Archbishops Council 2000. Scripture Quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright 1989, 1995. National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America Hymns are reproduced under the terms of Christian Copyright Licence Number 176768
Ken and Anne at Buckingham Palace after he was knighted for Services to Charity and Entertainment. Ken s unique and brilliant comic genius and strong melodious voice has delighted audiences all over Great Britain for over six decades. He helped numerous charities over the years and was solely responsible for rescuing the Manchester Palace in 1977. He also helped to save The Royal Court Theatre Liverpool and several other theatres for future generations to enjoy. Ken received many accolades for his Theatre and Television work and was awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters at Chester and Liverpool Hope Universities. He is an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University. He was enrolled a Freeman of the City of Liverpool 2004 and of the City of London 2017 and was voted the Greatest Merseysider in a public poll conducted by BBC Radio Merseyside and the Liverpool Echo. Sir Ken Dodd, Squire of Knotty Ash. Thank you.