February 2012
The Front Page
God save the Queen
O God, who providest for thy people by thy power, and rulest over them in love; Vouchsafe so to bless thy servant our Queen, that under her this nation may be wisely governed, and thy Church may serve thee in all godly quietness; and grant that she being devoted to thee with her whole heart, and persevering in good works unto the end, may, by thy guidance, come to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
February 6 may not stand out as an important day in the calendar, but this year it has a special significance. For 60 years ago on this date, the reign of our current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, began. The day is known as the Accession Day, and the prayer above comes from the Prayer Book Service which is provided for use in Anglican Churches on this date every year.
I imagine that the full service is rarely used, like those other bits of the Prayer Book such as the Commination and the Churching of Women, which we tend to ignore these days. (If you have a Prayer Book at home you may like to turn them up and consider why). But I hope this year we might all want to spend a moment in prayer on February 6, giving thanks for the Queen, reflecting on her significance for our nation, and praying for her health and well-being in the future.
Whatever our views on monarchy, Elizabeth II has surely had a remarkable reign. Older members of our community will be able to ponder how much society has changed over its decades, and how she has provided a fixed point in our national life through many turbulent times, and some more tranquil moments as well. Now she becomes only the second monarch to have reigned for such a time. She is already the oldest-ever sovereign, and surely we can hope that in a few years she will become the longest-reigning king or queen we have ever known. That is certainly my prayer.
One feature of the Queen’s role which has become ever clearer to me over the past ten years or so, is the centrality of her faith to the way she conducts her life. In her Christmas broadcasts she always reflects on the Christian message, and how it inspires and calls all of us: to the love of our neighbours, to the work of peacemaking, and especially to a care and concern for the distressed and needy. I believe that in our time there has been no finer example of a public life inspired by these values than the life of duty and service which Queen Elizabeth has lived. In an era when the ever-present temptations of celebrity and ostentatious self-display have become almost a contemporary creed, her constant quiet dignity and dedication speak powerfully of another, better way to live.
So let us celebrate the Diamond Jubilee this year with fun, celebration, thoughfulness and gratitude. There will be a special service at St Swithun’s on Sunday June 3 at 3 p.m. to help us do this – I hope you may be able to come. And let us give thanks to God for the gift He has given us in our Queen, and pray that He may continue to inspire her and strengthen her for many years to come. Perhaps on February 6 you might like to join me in using the prayer below, also from the Prayer Book Accession service.
Almighty God, who rulest over all the kingdoms of the world, and dost order them according to thy good pleasure; We yield thee unfeigned thanks, for that thou wast pleased, as on this day, to set thy Servant our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, upon the throne of this Realm. Let thy wisdom be her guide, and let thine arm strengthen her; let truth and justice, holiness and righteousness, peace and charity, abound in her days. Direct all her counsels and endeavours to thy glory, and the welfare of her subjects; give us grace to obey her cheerfully for conscience sake, and let her always possess the hearts of her people; let her Reign be long and prosperous, and crown her with everlasting life in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Derwyn.