From the Book of Wisdom, ‘The souls of the faithful are in the hand of God….and the faithful will abide with God, in love.’
Today we mark the end of an era. The second Elizabethan era. As we continue to mourn the death of the late HM Queen Elizabeth, and begin to look to the future, and to the reign of King Charles III, I want to talk today about something that never changes. I want to talk about love. And the ways in which the life of our late Sovereign taught us about love and shone with love.
I realise that for many of us, this is personal. Perhaps surprisingly personal. Perhaps you’ve found yourself crying in the last few days, and wondering why. It has affected us. On Friday evening when we sang, for the first time, ‘God save the King’, I found if very emotional and I had tears in my eyes. And this loss resonates for many of us with other deaths, other losses, deeply felt.
So I’d like to talk about the love exemplified in the life of Elizabeth our late Queen, which was rich and multifaceted. To be treasured and honoured is her love of family and love for her beloved husband, her liege man, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. And we saw the great depth of love and affection inspired by his mother, when King Charles spoke to us on Friday evening.
This family love was at the heart of love that overflowed through the life of the nation, Commonwealth and world. The worldwide impact of her life has been recognised in the heartfelt international reaction to her death.
When just 21 years old, Princess Elizabeth said ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service. God help me to make good my vow’. It was through service that she expressed love. And Elizabeth was faithful to this anointed calling and all her life.
In doing this she has exemplified for us, one of the Benedictine virtues, a cornerstone of the Benedictine rule, that of stability. Which is remaining in the task that God has given to you. In her 2014 Christmas broadcast she said, ‘The life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life’. The purpose of an anchor is to keep you securely in one place.
I remember Grayson Perry, the artist and national treasure, giving the BBC Reith lectures a few years ago. He spoke about how if artists and craftspeople want to get good at their craft, they must stick with it. His expression was ‘stay on the bus’. Once you’ve chosen your direction, stay with it. (well, in the Queens case it’s not a bus but maybe a royal carriage). We have seen in Queen Elizabeth an extraordinary example of staying with the task of faithful service, she has modelled stability as Saint Benedict would say, because she is anchored in Christ.
This faithful service has been a stable background to our national life, to the values that undergird and support our common life, and enable us to live together. We can so easily take these for granted, like the rule of law, democratic government, fairness, tolerance. We take these for granted, but they are vital and take daily attention to maintain.
The late Queen showed us love through faithfulness, stability and through service.
The surface of royalty is glittering. There is pomp and pageantry. Underneath it all however, the meaning of the robes and symbols are profoundly serious: and they symbolise service and self-sacrifice. At the Coronation Service, the monarch receives the golden orb, symbol of the world, surmounted by the cross. Likewise, the sceptre and the crown, both encrusted with jewels, are under the cross of Christ. Over everything that the world offers, are the demands of the cross: and a calling to sacrifice and service.
Leaders have always faced temptations. The Bible tells us of the struggles of Hebrew kings between what was Godly, sacrificial and wise, and what was easy, aggrandising or vain. To stay with the path of service, to live by Godly virtues and values has been Elizabeth’s great achievement. She has lived by the rules others are expected to live by, as we saw when she sat alone at the funeral of her dear husband, she was humble in the exercise of power.
Her Christian path has been generous, and as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Elizabeth interpreted the calling of her church as protecting ‘the free expression of all faiths in the country’. The Church of England is to be an umbrella under which all can shelter. In her person she has embodied Christ’s love and care for everyone regardless of race, creed or culture. This has been profoundly valued by minority communities.
As the Queen has embodied service, so she has shown us humility. One example of this is to sublimate self-expression. She wore a beautiful, thoughtful and detailed uniform of office, never fashionable, nor unfashionable in which personal preferences took second place to role. She wore bright colours in order to be easily seen amidst crowds. She dressed thoughtfully and with care to honour those she would be seeing. This was part of her discipline of humility and love, obedient to the demands of her role, while all the time we suspected, given the choice, she would rather been in tweeds and wellington boots.
As Her Majesty The Queen showed humility in dress, she showed us humility by treating everyone with the same courtesy, princes and paupers with the same calm attention. I loved the story from Harriet Harmon MP, mother of the House of Commons, of how when she was sacked as Secretary of State her inbox emptied and her phone went silent. No one wanted her or to be associated with her. Except, when she heard from the Palace, would the former Secretary of State come to tea with the Queen. This is the disciplined, humble work of love.
Our late sovereign has exemplified for us love expressed in stability, faithfulness, service and humility. I have found that her example came to mean more and more for me, as I’ve grown older, and in public ministry hers has been an invaluable example. And sometimes, honestly, when I’ve been at an event that has gone wrong, or has been horribly embarrassing in some way, I’ve gained inspiration from thinking, what would the Queen do with her face right now?
Finally, for now, I want to say that Her Majesty has also exemplified love with her sense of joy and humour, because saints are not meant to be miserable. She showed us that taking ones role seriously is not the same as taking yourself seriously. Taking tea with Paddington bear during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, or on special assignment with Mr Bond – astonishingly agreeing to appear to jump out of a helicopter to get to the Olympics, – we had an insight into someone who held dignity lightly.
When our new King addressed the nation, he spoke of his intention to serve us with loyalty, respect and love. Love was named explicitly several times in his address, and so we see the example set by his mother living on in his life and in the life of the nation.
And I hold on to this, which I’ve often said at funerals, ‘Love doesn’t end in dying or leave with the last breath, for someone we’ve loved deeply, love doesn’t end in death.’
Queen Elizabeth’s shining example of love, shown daily in faithfulness, service, humility and joy, will live on, in Charles, in his family, in all those who are influenced by her, and I hope in each of us.
May she rest in peace, and rise in glory. Amen.
