The Queen who kept her promise... points to the one who keeps all his promises.

 

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God."

2 Cor 1:20

"The things which I have here before promised, 

I will perform and keep. So help me God."

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Coronation 1953

The young Elizabeth solemnly promised "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."

She kept this promise. For 70 years 214 days and even as a 96 year your old grieving great grandmother, Elizabeth demonstrated an anchored stability, consistency and faithfulness that our contemporary world so rarely sees.

 In 1953 the world was a very different place. The post-war era of rebuilding from destruction, living in humble gratitude for peacetime, meant that "service and duty", or "serving others above ourselves", were not despised words. 

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others 

and to give his life as a ransom for many." 

Contemporary Britain however is a much prouder, bolder, more individualistic place, where self-control is an anathema, and promises broken (either in brazen arrogance or casually) are not a surprise in our culture. Having appointed 15 prime ministers, her majesty knew a thing or two about broken manifestos and their consequences. Runways that he promised would not be built, tax increases that they promised would not happen, and boozy parties without social distancing which all there promised to be "work events", are nothing compared to the multitude of infidelities, indiscretions, broken relationships and hurt families which litter the roadside of our age. Secret, murky affairs at the core of pubic life once meant the end of careers in the 1980's, as details squirmed out in memoirs and tabloids. In 2021 however, even being recorded in HD by the House of Commons internal cameras was no deterrent or prompt to inhibition. When such a video went viral, some plaudits suggested it would actually aid career progression to be seen as "normal". In such a moment, are we being caught throwing away commitment, or just being true to ourselves  for a moment of "me time" pleasure?

  Sadly the Queen herself was not a stranger to the sad consequences and desolate realities of reckless living in her own family, yet she stood apart as a woman of principle, dignity and trustworthiness. She was simply in a different league of moral reliability and quiet (understated) steadiness in her inner life. Rising above the volatility and crowd noise was a single life of exceptionally long equilibrium.  

What enabled such consistency ?

Phil 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"

In '53 the commentator said...

"The bible itself is presented to her by the moderator of the Church of Scotland"... who said...

"Here is Wisdom;

This is the royal Law;

These are the lively Oracles of God."

There is so much to admire in the Queen's legacy. Grace, compassion and equality of unconditional and impartial welcome came from a Queen who knew her Saviour.

Multitudes of testimonies, from myriads of countries and cultures in the last week  have declared that private receptions with the Queen revealed an honest humility, genuinely sincere transparency, which rather than being a window of folly inspired so many others to greater love for others, to be peacemakers, to be gracious. 

The trending media has had a united thirst to meet those who "met" and "knew her well". Giles Brandreth, David Beckham, Jon Anderson, Marilyn Monroe and many ordinary folk have expressed in many ways a consistent line from every angle, that she was a "good" woman. The question remains, will her legacy and this impact left with so many continue now that this central thread which ran through all our lives these last 70 years has been cut ?

I fear our country has misunderstood what made the Queen the woman she was.

As the double rainbow over Buckingham palace reminded us of the God who is eternally unchanging in his global rule and promise, "The rock" on which the Queens life was built, people wanted to express their gratitude.

Sadly however they seemed to direct their honour (and even worship) not to the one living God for his kindness and faithfulness to us through her and all generations, but to anything else that would give a sense of momentary pathos and pseudo spirituality. Note the many marmalade sandwiches left in the parks, plastic wrapped flowers and spontaneous moments of applause (a thing which became a Thursday religious ritual for many in the pandemic). What do these expressions mean or achieve? What do they say about what our nation is hoping for, and trusting in for the future? 

Is the Queen being led into the future by Paddington ? Is he the only one holding her hand ? If this is so, how firm, real or true is our hope?

We pray for the King. We will look to honour and respect him, and seek to praise everything that is "good" (Phil 4:8). We pray that in his heart he will not believe that he has outgrown or is above the foundation of "the faith". We pray that media coverage will expose reality to our country, that faith is only as worthy or secure as what or who our faith is trusting in. We pray that in humility our King will sit under the Word of God, and find Christ.  Christ is for every one of us (regardless of status, role or failure) the only answer to our many broken promises before God and others.  He is the beginning of true life, the true image of humanity, the answer to our deepest relational and eternal needs. He is the root of all faithfulness. He is the only future of Hope in life, death, eternity, and the future of our nation.

HOW SHOULD WE BE IN A POST-QUEEN WORLD? 

1. WORSHIP THE ONE WHO MADE THE QUEEN WHO SHE WAS.

So what will be our response over the next few days? Is it to weep with those who have no hope, or to point people ourselves to the one and only hope? 

2. POINT TO THE ONE WHO LIVES AND KEEPS HIS PROMISES. 

 "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."

1 These 3:13-14

There is a promise which outshines all other promises, an "Amen" to summarise all "Amens" which displays the unalloyed truth of Christ. When he walked out of the tomb, all fear was banished, all power of God's enemies was defeated. Because he lives we can face tomorrow, whatever that means for us personally or for our country. 

It may be that we now enter an era in the UK where Christianity is even more marginalised in our multi-faith, post-Christian nation. Does this mean that the true church and those who belong to Christ live less powerfully? My bible says "no", The Spirit in me says "no", my current experience of world mission in frontier places and church history tells me "no". Our confidence is in the risen Christ, who is all powerful, active by his Spirit to reach all places and shine in the darkest recesses of our hearts and planet. As times get darker, the church shines brighter. 

Maybe one of the Queen's greatest legacies to the United Kingdom, will be the way her longevity shone a spotlight on changing Britain, and made people yearn for the better day; a leader who gave more, who lived for something greater, who gave us a glimpse of the ultimate, the greater reality in humanity and human leadership, and made us hunger for it again.

Praise God for the life of the Queen. Thank God for her restraint, leadership, influence, and desire to use power well in our country . We do not idolise her or make a saint out of her, but we do honour her as creature of God who became a blessing to his world. She was a child of Christ and with her we shall reign together, with Him, forever. 

Lord, help us now to live as citizens of heaven, steadied in the joy of the resurrected Christ. Help us live in gratitude and with liberty, self control, and faithfulness, knowing that our eternal security is in the loving hands of the King of Kings, who loved us and gave himself for us. To the one who is immortal, and the one whose reign will never end, we dedicate afresh our love and our lives. He is more than worthy of the very best in our lives. 

 Love divine, all loves excelling, 

joy of heaven, to earth come down,

fix in us your humble dwelling, all your faithful mercies crown.

Jesus, you are all compassion, pure, unbounded love you are.

Visit us with your salvation; enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe your loving Spirit into every troubled heart.

Let us all in you inherit, let us find the promised rest.

Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be.

End of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

 Come, Almighty, to deliver, let us all your life receive.

Suddenly return, and never, nevermore your temples leave.

YOU we would be always blessing, serve YOU as your hosts above, 

pray, and praise YOU without ceasing, glory in YOUR perfect love.

Finish, then, your new creation; true and spotless let us be.

Let us see your great salvation perfectly restored in you.

Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place,

till we cast our crowns before you, lost in wonder, love and praise.