The Servant Queen and the King she serves Paperback – 2016

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Her Majesty met millions of people, but in all the footage we’ll watch on loop over the coming days, notice she always gave her attention to the person in front of her. She never seemed in a hurry to move past him or her. It didn’t seem to matter to her whether the person to whom she was speaking was a president or a pauper. She could have enjoyed the wealth and status her position gave her. Instead, she showed us a life of dutiful service in the interest of others, one that treats each person with dignity regardless of status. In that, she gave us a glimpse of the One who left the riches of heaven and made himself nothing, being born in the form of a servant and giving all he had to serve his people.

It was striking when we put together a book for children about the Queen’s faith to mark her Platinum Jubilee to see just how often she spoke of Jesus. In 2012, she reminded us that “this is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only Son to serve, not to be served,” both to save us and as an example to us. She followed that example. In our era, when duty has fallen out of fashion and “being true to yourself” has become the lodestar for a generation, she marched resolutely to a different beat. Hers was a life of service, not self-actualisation. The most gracious of men has shown us all how to accept the facts of the past without bitterness, how to see new opportunities as more important than old disputes and how to look forward with courage and optimism.’ (1995) To the extent that Elizabeth was kind, servant-hearted, and consistent, she showed us the blessing it is to live under a good ruler. Yn ei darllediad Nadolig yn y flwyddyn 2000 nododd fod eglwysi cadeiriol ac abatai, y gerddoriaeth, y ffenestri lliw a’r lluniau a geir ynddynt, yn ein hatgoffa o fywyd Crist. Fodd bynnag, dywedodd: ''gwelir gwir fesur dylanwad Crist nid yn unig ym mywydau'r saint ond hefyd yn y gweithredoedd da caiff eu cyflawni’n dawel gan filiynau o ddynion a merched ddydd ar ôl dydd ar hyd y canrifoedd' In the year that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called the Church to the “ duty, privilege and joy” of a great work of evangelism, thousands of churches across the country will be giving away copies of The Servant Queen, and we owe HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity a great debt of gratitude for the evangelistic vision.

Just as the Queen’s vision for the United Kingdom is rooted in biblical values, so too is her vision for the Commonwealth. And yet we are also an obstinate and disobedient people, for despite her witness and example, we have turned away from you. 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.’ (2011)

This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son “to serve, not to be served”. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ.’ (2012)Maybe those years inspired the Queen to say: "To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example." (Christmas message, 2000) The Servant Queen and the King She Serves was distributed to thousands of churches across the UK in the lead up to the Queen’s official birthday celebrations in 2016. The celebrations included a massive street party attracting about 10,000 people to The Mall in London. 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: We need ‘saving from ourselves’. She’s including herself in that. Indeed, there is no sense of moral superiority or judgementalism in her summons to the good or her naming of the human need for forgiveness. Rather, she is clear about her own limitations and need for help.

As we’ve seen, the Queen’s understanding of her role is deeply shaped by the Jesus of the Bible. It’s not surprising, then, that her vision for the nation and her vision for her people find their roots in a biblical understanding of national purpose and civic service. In sum, one of the reasons the Queen follows Christ is because he so clearly and consistently practices what he preaches. In him, word and deed match perfectly. He calls us to do the same. And so, in her speeches to the nation, the Queen echoes his call, encouraging every person to see that they have both a responsibility and an opportunity to contribute to the national good.

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Again, we see a focus on actions, on the quality of community life, on the quality of the lived experience of every individual. Still, her vision for neighbour-love goes beyond taking the initiative to meet immediate needs. Indeed, in her 1980 Christmas message she set out a comprehensive vision for neighbour-love that embraced every sphere of society from business to education, from the armed forces to health services, from politics to the arts. We love our neighbour by offering our gifts and talents to them in selfless service. Importantly, she closed that section of the message with these words: Do anything really well in almost any sphere of life – run a business, run a marathon, run a country – and pretty soon people want to know your secret. What motivated you? Where did you get your inspiration and stamina? What were your guiding principles? The comments – rare insights into the Queen’s personal thoughts and Christian faith – came in the forward to a new book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, published by Bible Society, HOPE and LICC. Not surprisingly, such a vision leads inevitably to a particular understanding of the qualities that go into being a good citizen.

For Elizabeth, Christ’s ‘formula’ works in the real world. Indeed, one of the things she admires about Christ’s teaching is that it is practical. Faith in him should lead to works for him, works that have a particular selfless character. Perhaps even more telling is how she testifies to Christ’s contribution to her own capacity to serve and his availability to others: For all the inhumanity around us, let us be grateful for those who have received him and who go about quietly doing their work and his will without thought of reward or recognition. They know that there is an eternal truth of much greater significance than our own triumphs and tragedies, and it is embodied by the Child in the Manger. That is their message of hope.’ Her Majesty The Queen has rightly been globally praised for doing an outstanding job since she came to the throne at the age of 25. And for 70 years she’s done her work as Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England with amazing diligence, great grace, astute intelligence, deep humility, and tremendous effectiveness. 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.

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I was so deeply touched that you should have invited me to return to Barbados and to join you, on behalf of The Queen… As your constitutional status changes, it was important to me that I should join you to reaffirm those things which do not change. For example, the close and trusted partnership between Barbados and the United Kingdom as vital members of the Commonwealth; our common determination to defend the values we both cherish and to pursue the goals we share; and the myriad connections between the people of our countries – through which flow admiration and affection, co-operation and opportunity – strengthening and enriching us all.’