Rector's letter for June Fowey News
Dear Friends
There are many remarkable features to the seven decade reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, of which perhaps the most astonishing is the manner in which she has carried out her duties as Sovereign. Andrew Marr observed that “There are no reliable recorded incidents of the Queen losing her temper, using bad language, or refusing to carry out a duty expected of her.” There has never ever been a whiff of scandal about the Queen. Her Majesty has amply fulfilled the vow she made on her 21st birthday that her whole life, long or short, would be devoted to the service of her people. And she has done it - and continues to do it - in an exemplary manner.
It is worth remembering that the Queen did not chose her life’s work. It was thrust upon her by an accident of birth and the abdication of her uncle. Nonetheless, she has chosen to carry it out with dedication and commitment, and above all, with an unstinting determination to serve, rather than to be served. And in that, she is clearly and openly following the example and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ as an expression of her own personal commitment to him.
Royal biographer, William Shawcross, notes that “Two things stand out - the Queen’s constant sense of duty and her devotion to God. Of this she speaks humbly, but openly, especially in her Christmas broadcast.” Her Majesty might justly be called the most famous woman in the world, and yet she is also quite a private person and in reality we know very little of her personal thoughts and opinions. But that is not the case when it comes to her faith in Jesus. About that, she has been remarkably, even uncharacteristically, open. She doesn’t have to be. Yet, again and again, she has spoken of her own personal commitment to Christ.
Over the years, and often as the climax to her Christmas message, the Queen has spoken of the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour, as her inspiration and role model, as her anchor and her hope, as her source of strength and courage and as the one in whom she trusts and to whom she has given her heart. In a book produced for her 90th birthday, the author, Mark Greene, wrote, “Certainly there is more to Elizabeth than her faith in Christ, but you cannot understand her without understanding her devotion to him. It shapes everything she does.”
At the end of her Golden Jubilee year in 2002, the Queen spoke about her own personal commitment to Christ. She said, “I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad… I know that the only way to live my life is to … put my trust in God.”
In her 2008 Christmas broadcast, the Queen highlighted what she called Jesus’ “outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life,” and the way the Lord Jesus, “makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving that receiving, more in serving than being served.”
Similarly, in 2012, she again focused on the fact “that God sent his only Son to serve, not be served.” And she said “It is my prayer … that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.”
Mark Greene, again: “The reality is that Elizabeth the 2nd has consistently, winsomely and publicly honoured the God she serves and has been an extraordinary example of joyful, persevering, life-affirming, generous hearted, unstinting, wise service on behalf of others.”
If there is anything about the Queen which we find praiseworthy, if there is anything about her that we might wish to emulate - her character, her values, her attitude, her service - then by her own testimony, it all springs from a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Her Majesty has been and continues to be an example of the difference Jesus makes. It is an example worth following.
with every blessing
Philip