The Servant Queen and the King she serves Paperback – 2016

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It is because Christ said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Matthew 5:9) that she affirmed ordinary people pursuing peace in troubled lands – particularly ‘those who are hardly aware of what they do’ (1995).

This essay doesn’t reprise the key events of Her Majesty’s reign – there’s much on that in my book The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. Rather, it looks more deeply at the character of the Queen’s faith: its biblical roots, and her understanding of Jesus and his priorities. And it explores how those have shaped her as a disciple, her vision for her role as sovereign, her vision for the nations and their citizens, and her vision for the Commonwealth. In terms of her own role, the Queen was never under any kind of illusions about the extent of her own power. In 1956, she said:

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Faith in Christ is not a peripheral pursuit or a leisure-time bolt-on, but something ‘living’ that should shape our whole lives. We are not just saved by faith. We live by it (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Dywedodd ‘Pwyslais mawr Crist oedd yr angen i roi nod ymarferol i ysbrydolrwydd’, gan ychwanegu: 'I mi mae dysgeidiaeth Crist a'm hatebolrwydd personol fy hun gerbron Duw yn cynnig fframwaith sy’n rhoi arweiniad i’m bywyd. Fel cynifer ohonoch, yr wyf wedi canfod cysur mawr mewn cyfnodau anodd yng ngeiriau ac esiampl Crist. And yet we are also an obstinate and disobedient people, for despite her witness and example, we have turned away from you. The Servant Queen and the King She Serves' was published by the Bible Society, HOPE and LICC this year, to mark her 90 th birthday. In the foreword the Queen wrote:"I have been – and remain – very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for his steadfast love. I have indeed seen his faithfulness." To the extent that Elizabeth was kind, servant-hearted, and consistent, she showed us the blessing it is to live under a good ruler. She pointed us to the truth that humanity was created to enjoy life under an all-powerful, all-knowing, always-loving ruler, who (like the Queen) isn’t swayed by opinion polls and never needs to run for election and whose authority isn’t dependent on majority opinion. Humans are happiest under a perfect monarch. The former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey (1991-2002) was a strong advocate for Queen Elizabeth II. "Her faith, strong on conviction, but also generous and hospitable, is an example to us all in a time of radicalism and extremism. She reflects the best and most noble values of what it is to be British," he wrote.

This desire that post-Imperial Britain would be a positive moral example to others has a strong resonance with the vision that the people of Israel were given by God: that they would be ‘a light unto the nations’ (Isaiah 42:6). The biblical nation of Israel was relatively small in area and small in population. And it was not marked out for regional or global domination. Rather, it was intended that their devotion to God and his ways, and their testimony to his mighty deeds, would serve as a powerful witness and blessing to surrounding countries. In a strong statement of faith, the Queen has said that she is ‘very grateful’ to the nation for its prayers for her and that she has felt God’s ‘faithfulness’ during 64 years on the throne. When she came to the throne, the Commonwealth consisted of eight nations. Today, 54 nations and territories, almost all former colonies, are members. How do you turn nations that your own country has conquered, ruled, and exploited for decades into friends? In 1947, as Princess Elizabeth, Her Majesty toured South Africa with her parents and sister Margaret Rose. In a speech broadcast from Cape Town on her 21st birthday,she referred to her ancestors' motto, ‘I serve’, saying: ‘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.’ I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else. I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the people of our brotherhood of nations. I believe in our qualities and in our strength. I believe that together we can set an example to the world which will encourage upright people everywhere…’

I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God!’ (2002) The problem, as Queen Elizabeth knew, is that such a leader cannot be found in this world. The wonder, as Queen Elizabeth also knew, is that one day he will arrive, coming on the clouds.Cyfeiriodd eto at yr esiampl hon yn 2008, pan ddywedodd fod Iesu wedi dangos yn glir fod ‘gwir hapusrwydd a bodlonrwydd dynol i’w cael wrth roi yn hytrach na derbyn; wrth wasanaethu yn hytrach na chael ein gwasanaethu'. Meddai: 'Yn sicr, gallwn fod yn ddiolchgar fod cynifer ohonom, dwy fil o flynyddoedd wedi geni’r Iesu, yn parhau i gael ein hysbrydoli gan ei fywyd a’i neges, a chael ynddo ffynhonnell o gryfder a dewrder.’ I have seen at first hand the remarkable results of his, and his wife [Sue Ryder]’s determination to put Christ’s teaching to practical effect.’ For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance, and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.’ (2014) In partnership with Bible Society and HOPE, we marked the occasion with a book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, which takes a closer look at the Queen’s personal faith in Jesus and the impact it had on her long life of service to the nation.