I have admitted in the past that I don't care much about the monarchy, although I have seen the queen. However, after worship on Sunday I watched the remarkable flotilla of 1,000 boats and ships on the Thames, including a Canadian voyageur canoe. How Canadian is that!
And there was her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, standing throughout, waving to the passing armada and to the estimated million onlookers on the shores of the river. In case you missed it, one of the final vessels to pass contained an orchestra safely tucked inside and a hardy group of twelve singers on the upper deck. When the members of the London Philharmonic played a sea shanty the queen broke into a smile and began to sway. The singers gave a stirring rendition of God Save the Queen which certainly touched me. It was remarkable to see her grandsons, William and Harry, singing along.
Where am I going with this? Even though Queen Elizabeth has a largely symbolic role she has been involved in a life of service. During this Diamond Jubilee archival photos and film footage have emerged including a statement by the twenty one year-old Princess Elizabeth committing herself to that service. Sunday's event reminded us of that role, and that even in this day people respond to the notion of someone representing something larger than themselves. It could be argued that the queen is a nice old lady in a honorific position that doesn't matter anymore. But that wasn't the feeling over the weekend.
We Christians still use the language of royalty on occasion to refer to Jesus. He is the Shepherd King, and the Servant King, although in our denomination we are more inclined to use genderless monarchial terms. Even though we are less hierarchical in the 21st century, there are still occasions for this language, including Reign of Christ Sunday. The emphasis is on the Christ who humbles himself for the sake of others. During the service of celebration today at St. Paul's Cathedral the queen's service was acknowledged.
What was your response to the Jubilee celebrations? What about the use of royal language in our Christian faith?
2 comments:
I think it's impressive, her reign. Your point on the dedication it takes to render that kind of service, well into one's old age is what I find most interesting. I hope we will get to see the day in 2015 when she surpasses Queen Victoria for the all-time record for longevity!
I'm with you Ian. There is a lot to be said for faithfulness in the long haul in virtually every sphere.
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