Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

My tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Roborough Methodist Church 18 September 2022

Video of Message

Text of Message

The clouds gathered
The storms rolled in
Yet we did not know
The final days of our beloved Queen were upon us
We heard the news and Rainbows shone
Our dearest Queen was taking her final journey
After a life of service to the end
The Heavens opened with God’s tears
Mixing seamlessly with our own
Our nation and commonwealth are shrouded in darkness
Whilst we mourn our dearest Queen
 
Our Memorial Service today is in memory of our dearest Queen Elizabeth 11.  A service of thanks, sadness, and reflection. A service also looking forward to the reign of the Queen’s son – King Charles III.
 
My words at the beginning were related to the weather. We had days of thunder and lightning prior to the Queen’s passing - and then, when her death was announced, rainbows shrouded both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.  Then we had torrential rain  – perhaps God’s tears mixed with our own. To me this is of God
 
As a nation we are indeed going through a considerable period of change – within a few days we had two Prime Ministers and two Heads of State. But Jesus is with us. He will guide us and protect us. He is our shepherd. The Lord is indeed our Shepherd.
 
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams stated:
 
‘In a good and just society, we are linked by bonds we cannot always see. We need traditions and institutions that remind us we belong together…... For it is belonging that makes it worth struggling over granular arguments and local conflicts as we search for a better way to manage our common life with one another.’[1]
 
Our nations’ reaction to the Queen’s death has indeed shown our sense of belonging. Of course as a nation we are well known for our queuing etiquette – and wow we have certainly lived up to this with the so called ‘Elizabeth Line’!  People queuing for over 24 hours for perhaps mere seconds in Westminster Hall. But they leave with new friendships forged and timeless memories.
 
In Westminster Hall we saw the Vigils of the Queen’s children and grandchildren during which the public walked past. The mourning of a mother, grandmother, and Queen. Private and public sadness merging together - merging as one in grief.  The Britain we thought was dead is in fact very much alive.  I feel we all have a piece of the Queen in our hearts, and certainly she had all of us in hers.
 
The Christian values of the Queen were evident in every part of her life.  She was Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, but it is perhaps her personal faith that was so visible in her life.
 
When asked “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mark 12:28), Jesus replied  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
 
The Queen certainly held these commandments in her heart – worshiping God with all her heart and loving her neighbour.  During her Christmas messages she often mentioned the Parable of the Good Samaritan.[2]
 
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".’[3] And during the Coronavirus pandemic she again referred to the Parable, saying ‘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.’[4]
 
Forgiveness, so important in our Christian lives has also been portrayed by the Queen.  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.[5]
 
The Queen served us right until the end, displaying her Christian values and showing the importance of Christ in her life. It is indeed unbelievable that 2 days prior to her death she was welcoming a new Prime Minister.
 
And the Queen was a queen who reached the hearts of all nations. The photos on the slide show a service of prayer and reflection for the Queen on Tuesday at the Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem - including a bagpipe rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’
 
The fabulous Jubilee seems so far away now, but what joy the events brought the nation – a joy felt by the youngest to the eldest. And we saw an example of the Queen’s humour. Who would have thought that marmalade sandwiches would now be the most on trend handbag accessory?
 
The queen referred to Jesus as a guiding light.[6] And John 1 says ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:5) Indeed the light will come and the sun will shine again with our new King  - King Charles III. A new king grieving for his mother, yet bravely performing all the duties expected of him.  
 
I will finish with a quote from our new King – from Shakespeare’s Hamlet:
 
“May 'flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'”
 
Amen
 
Bibliography
 
https://christianity.org.uk/article/queen-elizabeths-faith accessed 14 September 2022
 
https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/dr-rowan-williams-tribute-queen-elizabeth accessed 14 September 2022
 
https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-2016 accessed 17 September 2022
 
 
 FOOTNOTES

[1] https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/dr-rowan-williams-tribute-queen-elizabeth accessed 14 September 2022

[2] https://christianity.org.uk/article/queen-elizabeths-faith accessed 14 September 2022

[3] https://christianity.org.uk/article/queen-elizabeths-faith accessed 14 September 2022

[4] https://christianity.org.uk/article/queen-elizabeths-faith accessed 14 September 2022

[5] https://christianity.org.uk/article/queen-elizabeths-faith accessed 14 September 2022

[6] https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-2016 accessed 17 September 2022