Death and Life : A Church's Guide to Exploring Mortality

As a society we aren't good at talking about death, and as individuals we may try and avoid thinking about it. But death is part of life, and we must all face it eventually. For Christians, dying and death are not the end but a transition point in a story that continues. Reflecting well on our own mortality can help us to make peace with the prospect of death and to live more fully in the here and now.

This research-based book includes all you need to plan and deliver a course enabling people - old or young, healthy or frail - to prepare practically, emotionally and spiritually for their last months on this earth. The course covers six topics:

Legal practicalitiesLife storiesFuneral planningPhysical aspects of dyingSpiritual aspects of dyingThe life to come

It also offers a range of materials on the theme of living well in the light of mortality: a creative workshop, sermon starters, Bible studies, meditations, and a set of prayer stations which combine to form a prayer walk.

The Revd Canon Dr Joanna Collicutt has a background in clinical psychology and academic psychology of religion. She was for many years the Oxford Diocesan Adviser for Older People, and it was in this role that she became interested in the spiritual and theological aspects of death and dying. She is an associate priest in an Oxfordshire parish and is currently studying for a PhD in the area of Christianity and the arts. Joanna has written or co-written ten books, including Thinking of you: A resource for the spiritual care of people with dementia (BRF, 2017) and Seriously Messy: Making space for families to talk together about death and life (BRF, 2019).