What can I say about Her Late Majesty the Queen that has not already been said in 24 hour news-coverage and the saturated internet? What superlatives can I employ which have not already been ascribed to her (more eloquently than I ever could) especially by those who knew her well?
Whatever we think, for example,
about our late Prime Minister, he can certainly craft a phrase! In his tribute to the Queen, reflecting on
the national sense of loss, he said that she was “a changeless human reference
point in British life…so unvarying in her Pole Star radiance that we have
perhaps been lulled into thinking that she might be in some way, eternal.”
In a similarly eloquent phrase, our
new Prime Minister described the Queen as “the rock on which modern Britain was
built” and “the very spirit of Great Britain”.
The Leader of the Opposition described Her Late Majesty as “the heart of
this nation’s life”. He praised “her
deep devotion to the country, the Commonwealth and the people she loved. In return for that,” he said, “we loved her”.
From His Majesty the King, we have
glimpsed a more personal perspective. He
spoke of her as “my beloved Mother” who, he said, was an inspiration and example
to me and to all my family….Queen Elizabeth”, he went on, “was a life well
lived; a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her
passing.”
But this speech of mine is billed
as a Sermon, not so much a tribute. So
permit me to focus on another important aspect of the Late Queen’s character
and life – specifically, her faith.
Allow me to do so, in her own words.
In her Christmas broadcast of 2017,
she said this:
“Jesus Christ lived obscurely most of his life and never travelled
far. He was maligned and rejected by
many, though he had done no wrong. And
yet billions of people now follow his 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”.
I find that notion of ‘doing small
things with great love’ utterly inspirational.
It is estimated that during her long reign, the Queen met directly some
3 million people (to say nothing of the billions who have glimpsed her over the
years). That is 3 million people who
have had the privilege of shaking her hand, and exchanging a small (and always-interested
word). 3 million small acts of great
love from someone whose faith inspired her to a lifetime of duty and
service. This is of course to say
nothing as well of the immeasurable number of letters, telegrams and condolences
and sound advice which have flowed unceasing from the Queen’s desk, throughout
her reign. Paul Keating, the former
Australian Prime Minister, put it so well when he said:
“The Queen understood and attached herself to the public good against
what she recognised as a tidal wave of private interest and private reward - and
she did it for a lifetime.”
The phrase “Jesus Christ: the man
for others” is one ascribed to Jesus by theologians like Dietrich Bonhoffer and
Paul Tillich. It condenses, rather beautifully,
the idea that Jesus lived only to serve humanity. His entire life was poured out in the service
of others – and this is the example which inspired the Queen. And it inspired our new King to say that her “promise
of lifetime service I renew to you all today”.
I pray that, whatever our personal
views about the institution of monarchy may be, we can all draw from the example
of our Late Queen, and from the promise, made on Friday, by her heir the
King. We are ALL capable of performing ‘small
acts with great love’ – to one another, to our neighbours, by our gifts of
charity, and by living (as Christ modelled) for others.
Let us imagine, for moment, a
society in which ‘living for others’ was our primary driver, and primary
goal. Let us contemplate what our world
would be like if private interest and private reward could be turned towards the
benefit of others. Can we imagine a
world in which Dictators and grubby warlords no longer seek to possess the
lands of others? Can we imagine a world
in which billionaires use their resources to benefit all humankind? Can we imagine a world in which the swords of
the nations are beaten into ploughshares to feed and heal the world? On a more parochial level, can we imagine a
world in which foodbanks were made unnecessary, and in which every homeless
person had a warm bed. Can we imagine a
world in which every human being, of every nation, of every economic
background, is valued and enabled to become all they can become as a loved child
of God. These concepts are at the heart
of the Christian faith, the Hebrew Bible, and the faith of Her Late Majesty the
Queen. Let them be our guiding concepts
too.
It is also worth reflecting for a
moment on the great burden that our new King, Prime Minister and Government are
forced to bear. Just at the point in
which a major economic intervention was required in our Nation’s life, the
Queen’s death has inevitably placed much on hold. This
will undoubtedly cause worry and concern among the millions who find themselves
in fuel poverty, and who are battling for higher wages to meet the challenges
of rampant inflation. We do well to hold
our King, Prime Minister, Government and Parliament in our prayers as they
navigate the difficulties of the economic challenges, while at the same time
performing their duties to the Late Queen’s memory.
But, finally, as we mourn the
passing of Her Late Majesty, and welcome the accession of the King, let us hold
fast to the faith they both have professed, in Jesus Christ: the man for
others. And let us pray, in the opening
line of the National Anthem we will sing at the end of the service, those
prayerful and heartfelt words, “God save the King”.
Wonderful! Thanx Tom! So pleased you're back.
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