Giving Thanks for Queen Elizabeth II
She was the longest reigning monarch in British history.
She never went to University, yet was the advisor and confidante of multiple Prime Ministers and Presidents.
She was a 96-year old senior citizen, but still worked over 40 hours a week.
She employed 1,200 people, yet fed her own dogs.
She was able to rebuild the 6-Cyclinder, 3462 cc engine of an Austin K2 Ambulance, and trek hatless for hours on her Fell pony across the windswept Highland moors. Yet she looked entirely comfortable and elegant in the 488 diamond Kokosknik tiara at a function where the celebrities of the world gathered.
She had a gruelling travel and work schedule for over 60 years but as Andrew Marr, the political commentator, pointed out: “There are no reliable recorded incidents of her losing her temper, using bad language, or refusing to carry out a duty expected of her.”
Who am I talking about? It is obvious isn’t it – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a truly remarkable woman and as we mourn her death it is worth giving thanks to God for her. Even more, we should see behind our ‘Servant Queen’ the King of Kings she served.
I would suggest we have at least three reasons to be thankful.
First, we should be thankful for her faith in Jesus Christ.
We live in an age of religious scepticism and ridicule. An age that is systematically attempting to silence the voice of God or the Bible or Jesus Christ. Alistair Campbell once advised Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister, who wanted to refer to God in a political speech, that “we don’t do God.” We can be thankful the Queen did not take his advice!
She has been consistently open about her faith in Jesus Christ. In 2002 she said,
“I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God … I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.”
Also, over recent years her Christmas messages have become increasingly explicit about Christ and her relationship with him. This is remarkable given her privacy. Yet she chose to be open and transparent about her faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Her faith showed itself in her church attendance. Every week she went to her local parish church in Sandringham, and even when on holiday, she would attend a church service. She was known to slip into the side of the church through a nondescript side door and quietly sit in a pew at the front and join in the worship.
Her faith was also expressed in a reliance on prayer. It is well known that she sought to pray to God every day. Six months before her coronation Elizabeth asked the people of the UK and Commonwealth to,
“Pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making.”
We should be thankful for her faith. More we should be challenged – do we believe and trust in Jesus Christ? Do we seek to call on him daily in prayer? Do we prioritise the worship of God with his people Sunday by Sunday?
Second, we should be thankful for her service to others.
During her now famous 21st birthday radio address, the young princess said,
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Little did she or her listeners know the full extent of what this would mean. She has since then self-consciously devoted herself to serve her country and she can quite rightly be called “The Servant Queen”.
This was poignantly highlighted at her coronation. It was the most watched event in the history of TV at that time. More TV sets were bought in the 2 months leading up to it than in any other two month period since. 27 million people watched it and 11 million listened on the radio. During the ceremony there was a part considered too sacred to televise. During Handel’s Anthem Zadok the Priest, the symbols of the Queen’s status were removed – the crimson velvet robe, the diamond diadem, the coronation necklace and she was left in a simple white dress. The Archbishop of Canterbury then anointed her with holy oil to show that she was being set apart to serve and love her people in every way. Interestingly, the Royal biographer William Shawcross wrote that it was this moment, rather than the actual moment of being crowned, that was of supreme importance to the Queen. He wrote, “Indeed it was the most solemn and important moment of her entire life.”
Her self-sacrificial service is all the more remarkable given the narcissistic age we live in. In a time when everything is all about me, myself, and I, the Queen was all about others.
Which begs us to probe deeper. Her service to others was rooted and grounded in, and even modelled after, the Servant King who is Jesus Christ:
During her Christmas broadcast in 2012 the Queen remarked,
“This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his Son ‘to serve, not to be served.’ He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in Jesus Christ.”
The reason the Queen could serve was because she had first been served by Christ! In 2011 she said:
“Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent in to the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general – but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.”
As we consider Her Majesty’s service and give thanks, it ought to lead us to consider and be eternally thankful for Christ’s service. His service led to the cross where he paid the ultimate price. This is the very centre of the Bible and Christianity – Christ died in our place, paying the price for our sin.
Christianity is not about being good and doing good – it is about the death of Jesus Christ in our place so that we can then serve others. And this is why we must, above all else, be thankful to God and Christ.
Third, we should be thankful for the love of God.
We can be thankful that the Queen was grateful for the love of God. In her 2012 Christmas message she spoke of God’s love:
“The Christmas message shows us that [God’s love] is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach.”
And during her Christmas message in 2014 she was even more explicit:
“For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing”
God is love. And he has displayed that love by giving his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. This means that Jesus Christ is the answer to all of our deepest questions:
How do we know God exists? – Jesus Christ became one of us.
How do we know what God is like? – Jesus Christ is God and God is Christ-like.
How can we know God? – Through knowing his Son, Jesus Christ!
Queen Elizabeth II’s life of service, duty, and faith, should give us reason to be thankful. But even more than that, it gives us abundant cause for gratitude to God, the King of Kings and Queens!
