by Michelle Bauman, Director of Y4Life
The queen is dead, and the world mourns. Analysts predict that by the time all is said and done, close to four billion people will have watched the funeral—at least in part. It’s difficult to deny that the royal family has garnered much interest and influence.
And how has that influence been used? Well, I’m sure we could debate the matter. Like all sinful people, the royals haven’t always been models of propriety. Yet, there have been moments—lifetimes even—of Christian witness. And for that we can be thankful. In a pluralistic society, it can be difficult to stand for Christ. And I hope you agree that Queen Elizabeth has done it. Her comments about Christianity, her confession of faith, and her own hope in the resurrection have born witness to the truth that faith in Christ is, and always will be, the narrow road to heaven.
How we live is important, but so is how we die. It makes a confession. It either points to Christ or away from Him. And while many of the people who watched the queen’s funeral this week (or will watch it on YouTube in the days to come) were there for the pomp and circumstance of it all, the queen and the church had a final confession to make. They planned to share the Gospel, and those plans were carried out—through the hymns and the preaching and the confession of faith in Christ. And in the way they remembered Queen Elizabeth’s life and cared for her body, they also confessed that life is important—both body and soul are made by God and redeemed by Christ. They were both designed, woven together, for life and for eternity. Death is a rending of that weaving. It is sad and painful, and we should mourn. But because of Christ, it is also filled with hope.
May we, like those Christians who have gone before us, make this good confession as we prepare for death. May our final days and our funerals boldly confess the hope and life that can only be found in Christ. And may the Holy Spirit strengthen us unto life and salvation as we await our own homecoming in HIM.
(Photo: Kynance Cove, Cornwall, England, UK)
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Hymns sung at the Queen’s funeral
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE)
On the announcement of the death of Her Majesty the Queen:
On the 6th February 2022 Her Majesty began her Platinum Jubilee – the longest reign of a British monarch – and the sentiments were strongly ‘long may she reign o’er us’. It is a recognition of the strength of that sentiment that today – the 8th September 2022 – our nation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and people around the world mourn with the repeating sentiment that this is feels the same as losing a member of the family. Things are irrevocably changing! Her Majesty The Queen has been a significant and stable part of the modern world.
We pray particularly for His Majesty The King and all members of the Royal Family in their time of grief.
We live today in a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and the Bible makes it clear that authority is part of God’s world and authority is to be about good order, peace, and justice. The Bible points to specific tasks for those with authority – often described as enacting righteousness and justice particularly for the poor and needy – and it also calls those with authority to service – to doing what is best for those under your authority. The Bible also speaks to those under authority and calls them to respect it and pray for those with it. Each of us is a mixture of having authority and being under authority.
In 1947 on her 21st birthday before she became Queen, Princess Elizabeth said to the nation, “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service … But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”
After the fall of numerous royal houses at the beginning of last century, through all the changes in society these past 70 years, against all the discussion of privilege and the rise of and increasing fragmentation of the ‘general public’, no one denies Her Majesty’s work ethic, sense of duty, and, more than that, her desire to serve – and the service she has undertaken – in the role in which she has found herself as a follower of Jesus Christ.
At Christmas in 2012, Her Majesty said: “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. It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.”
In this time of mourning, let us remember the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II marked by service in the name of the King of Kings who sacrificed himself for all. May our lives always be marked by service to one another. And may the crucified and risen Lord of Lords whom Her Majesty served be gracious and merciful to us all.
Almighty and gracious God, we give you thanks for your loving kindness shown to Her Majesty The Queen, Elizabeth the Second, who having finished her course in faith, now rests from her labours in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Amen.
The Rt Rev. George Samiec
Chairman, Evangelical Lutheran Church of England
8th September 2022
Prayer on the Death of the Monarch
Almighty and gracious God, you have established all earthly authorities as your servants, through whom you care for all people. We give you heartfelt thanks for the faithfulness of your servant, our late Sovereign Lady Elizabeth, whom you have graciously called to yourself after a long and full life. We thank you for sustaining her throughout her many years of service; for her steadfast devotion to her duty; and especially for the gift of faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. Receive her into your everlasting arms and grant her the blessed rest of all who trust in you.
Comfort all who mourn, and lead them to place their hope and consolation in the promises of the Gospel.
Grant wisdom, strength and integrity to our Sovereign Lord King Charles that, upon his ascension to the throne, he continue to serve this nation with the same diligence he witnessed in his mother. Grant him true faith in you, that he may be devoted to you with his whole heart, and persevering in good works may, by your grace, come to your everlasting kingdom.
Continue to keep this nation under your care, that we may live in peace and quietness; that we may be an example and support to the nations of the world; and that the Gospel of peace may continue to have free rein throughout the dominions of the crown and the Commonwealth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, the King of kings and only ruler of Princes, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) is a confessional Lutheran Church in England, Scotland and Wales, and a member of the International Lutheran Council (ILC).
