‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)This week marked the 70th anniversary of the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father King George VI in 1952. Her Majesty is the UK’s longest serving monarch and the first in history to reach the milestone of a Platinum Jubilee.
Over the 70 years of the Queen’s reign, Britain has evolved from an overwhelmingly Christian society to a multi-faith one, while we have also seen a shift to a more complex tapestry of secularism and belief. Nevertheless, throughout these seven decades, the Queen has shown herself to be someone who takes her Christian faith seriously, and this has underpinned her sense of duty and service to this country and the wider Commonwealth.
The Queen’s message on the eve of her anniversary attracted a lot of attention, but what caught my eye was that she renewed her pledge that her life ‘will always be devoted to your service’ and that she signed it in her own handwriting, ‘your servant Elizabeth R.’
In this she follows her King, Jesus, who even though he is king of the universe, came to serve and not be served (Mark 10:45).
Servant leadership is the hallmark of Jesus and modelled so well by the Queen. As Christians may we follow these examples and aim to serve in the church and in our communities as and when we have opportunity.
Have a good week being devoted to the service of others.
Pastor Barry
