Let Us Pray
Eternal God, Source of Compassion and Strength, we stand before You in grief and sorrow to mourn the death of our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, who died on Thursday at the age of 96. During the seventy years of her reign, during which she saw many upheavals and changes, she served her people with enduring devotion and grace, uniting races, creeds and tongues with outstretched hand and cheerful countenance. You endowed her with wisdom and discretion, with dignity and strength of purpose. In times of turmoil and distress, she sought comfort from her faith and led by example, speaking truth, abiding by her oath of majesty, accepting the discipline of her sovereignty and serving God with humility and intent. She worked with abiding and conscientious duty for the good of all her people, overcoming her own trials and tribulations to unite us as one humanity, whose purpose it is to do God’s will for the good of all people. Merciful God, bring comfort and strength to her family and all who mourn her death. Remember her merits and righteous deeds which she performed on earth. Open for her the gates of righteousness and light, of compassion and grace. Shelter her for ever under your loving care, and let her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. May her reign remain an example to guide King Charles with integrity and truth, promoting freedom, justice and righteousness, so that all may be blessed with prosperity and peace. We pray for the health and well-being of the new King. May he be strengthened by his faith in You, God of all humanity, so that all may live in harmony, friendship and peace. Amen.
Please join with me in The Lord's Prayer
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.
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Let us listen to the Staff Songster sing: With all my heart.
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Queen Elizebeth ll
It is with both sadness and gratitude that we mark the passing of our longest serving monarch. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second was a ‘Defender of the Faith’, in the quiet, understated approach she took to so much of her life.
For an individual whose personal views were known truly about so little, and political views barely at all, her lifelong and deep faith was obvious – from her annual Christmas Day speeches (one of the few speeches she was known to draft herself), to her constant weekly attendance at church.
Her Majesty took her Coronation Oath as seriously as any monarch could. Of its three parts (the other two relating to governing, law, justice and mercy) one is dedicated solely to maintaining ‘the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel’, establishing the Sovereign as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Her Majesty regularly opened General Synod and often referenced her sincere respect for the other faiths practised throughout the Commonwealth.
Above all else, Queen Elizabeth II’s life was one of service – to the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and to God. The way in which Her Majesty chose to live her life exemplified Christian service to a higher calling and a greater good. Of course, service and duty are typically Royal attributes, but it is worth reflecting on where these stem from, in a markedly profound manner in the case of Queen Elizabeth. There is probably no more transparent a source than the radio speech Her Majesty made on the occasion of her 21st birthday. It gives a clear sense of the purpose she saw for her life and was extremely prescient for the course it would take.
The life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II saw much turbulence and change. She provided a national – and international – anchor throughout, and one can only guess at the inner resilience to which she had to quietly and firmly grasp to do so. From Her Majesty’s own speeches and writings, there can be no doubt that much of this has stemmed from her deep-rooted personal faith.
To have negotiated the traumas and complications of the Second World War, the premature death of a beloved parent and resultant dramatic change in the course of her own life and that of her family, the break-up of the British Empire, the Cold War, significant rifts and turbulence within her own family life (notably 1992 which she described as her own “annus horribilis’) – not to mention technological advancements which would have been unimaginable in 1926 and which have had such impact – takes the sort of fortitude and strength which many lack. Increasingly, since 2000, the Queen used her Christmas Broadcast to talk about the importance of her faith.
In 2016, during her Christmas Broadcast, the Queen said:
"Billions of people now follow Christ's teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ's example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe."
The language often used to describe Queen Elizabeth II is one of faith – constant, faithful, unchanging, loyal, steadfast. It is no coincidence that this language is echoed when defining our Queen, and the King of Heaven to whom she committed lifelong service and homage. In her 1952 Christmas broadcast she said,
'Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’
Her father, King George VI, had died on 6 February 1952. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Kenya as she acceded to the throne. She was crowned Queen 18 months later on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey, London.
She was crowned in a deeply symbolic church service devised in AD 973 and including prayers and a service of Holy Communion. The orb, sceptre, ring and crown used in the ceremony each include a cross to symbolise the rule of Jesus Christ over the world. Even though the crown jewels are set with many of the world’s most valuable gems, a Bible is presented during the coronation and described as ‘the most valuable thing that this world affords’.
The most sacred moment at the heart of the ceremony is the anointing when the symbols of royal status are removed. The Queen, sitting under a canopy to hide the sacred moment from the cameras, was dressed in a simple white dress with no jewels or crown. As the Archbishop anointed her with oil, the prayers said over her invited God’s Holy Spirit to set her apart as God’s servant. Christians believe that God’s anointing fills his people with his love and empowers them to follow him.
The theme of “service” runs throughout the coronation, and, during the Queen’s long reign, she has been inspired by the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ, who said of himself: he ‘did not come to be served, but to serve’. ‘For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life.’ In 2008 the Queen said: ‘I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life … He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.’
A Bible story the Queen refers to most often emphasises this theme of service. In four of her Christmas broadcasts, she has talked about the parable Jesus told of a ‘Good Samaritan’. In 1985 she said the story ‘reminds us of our duty to our neighbour. We should try to follow Christ's clear instruction at the end of that story: "Go and do thou likewise".’
Once again, In 1989 her reference to the story reflects the influence of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who shared her practical Christian faith and sense of duty. She said, ‘Many of you will have heard the story of the Good Samaritan, and of how Christ answered the question (from a clever lawyer who was trying to catch him out) "who is my neighbour?". ‘Jesus told of the traveller who was mugged and left injured on the roadside where several important people saw him and passed by without stopping to help. His neighbour was the man who did stop, cared for him, and made sure he was being well looked after before he resumed his own journey.
‘It's not very difficult to apply that story to our own times and to work out that our neighbours are those of our friends, or complete strangers, who need a helping hand. Do you think they might also be some of the living species threatened by spoiled rivers, or some of the children in places like Ethiopia and Sudan who don't have enough to eat? … it would be wonderful to think that in the last years of the twentieth century Christ's message about loving our neighbours as ourselves might at last be heeded.’
In 2004 she returned again to the same parable and, most recently, in her 2020 broadcast on Christmas Eve from Windsor Castle, where she had been isolating with Prince Philip due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she said: ‘We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that - even on the darkest nights - there is hope in the new dawn. Jesus touched on this with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The man who is robbed and left at the roadside is saved by someone who did not share his religion or culture. This wonderful story of kindness is still as relevant today. Good Samaritans have emerged across society showing care and respect for all, regardless of gender, race or background, reminding us that each one of us is special and equal in the eyes of God.’
As well as talking about her faith and attending church services in an official capacity, the Queen worships privately each Sunday and relies on the prayers of her people. In 1992, in a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession, she thanked all those who had prayed for her and said that those prayers ‘sustained me through all these years’.
Her personal faith also prompts her to work for peace and reconciliation internationally and in her own family. In 2011 she said, ‘Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families; it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.’ Closer to home, in 2021 when her own family life was rocked by an interview given by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, she responded with that same spirit of love and forgiveness saying, ‘Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.’ In 2012 she concluded her Christmas broadcast by praying for her people and inviting a practical, servant-hearted response to Jesus Christ’s message of love: she said this.
‘This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son “to serve, not to be served”. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others. The carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter” ends by asking a question of all of us who know the Christmas story, of how God gave himself to us in humble service:
What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a wise man, I would do my part, the carol gives the answer,
'Yet what I can I give him – give my heart'.
Throughout her long life, Christ’s example and teaching have been seen acted out in the dutiful and faithful life of our servant-hearted Queen. Let us do the same.
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He Leadeth Me
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The Lord bless thee and keep thee
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee
And give thee peace.
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