2 Corinthians 4:16–5:1 — A House Not Made With Hands

Why families choose it

This is the reading for a death that came slowly — after long illness, or great age, when everyone watching saw the outward man perish and the inward man hold. Paul does not pretend the body did not fail; he calls it a tent coming down, and sets against it a building of God, eternal in the heavens. For a family who nursed someone through decline, it says the truest thing: what wore out was the dwelling, not the person.

Reading it aloud

One of the shortest readings a funeral can hold, which makes it kind to a reader unsure of their strength. Read the opening verses plainly, without drama — anyone who kept vigil will recognise them. Then let 'For we know' open like a door, and give 'not made with hands' the slowest, clearest saying of the whole reading: it is the phrase people carry home.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 4:16–5:1” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.