Eleven days ago, along with 9 others, I swore an oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II as part of the Reader licensing service in Lichfield Cathedral. This wasn’t something peculiar to the Church of England – many people in public office are required to do the same. Yet it seemed to me to have a double significance, for not only was the Queen our sovereign, to whom we owe allegiance, but she was also the head of the church to which we were being licensed. And for the Queen, this wasn’t just an empty job title. Throughout her life she held a strong and genuine Christian faith. In her first Christmas broadcast in 1952, as she prepared for her accession to the throne after the death of her father, she asked her listeners to: 'Pray for me … that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’ When she became Queen, Elizabeth was automatically given the role of defender of the faith and supreme governor of the Church of England - a responsibility she took very seriously. In 1970, she became the first sovereign to inaugurate and address the church’s General Synod in person, a practice she continued every five years. Alongside her official role as head of the Church of England, the Queen held a deep personal faith in Jesus Christ which she expressed in her Christmas broadcast in December 2000 in the words: ‘For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life.’ The Queen had a living, active faith in a living God; the God who came “to serve and not to be served”. She has been described as the most famous person on the planet, yet she lived out her life of duty and service with true humility. Her personal faith was evident in all that she did. She worked for peace and reconciliation –her visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 was described by the Irish President as a "very special pilgrimage of reconciliation". During the visit, the Queen laid a wreath in Dublin's Garden of Remembrance - a park dedicated to Irish people who fought against British rule. At the time she said: ‘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.’ The following year, during an event at a Belfast theatre, she came face to face with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose organisation had been responsible for the murder of the Queen’s second cousin, Lord Mountbatten, in 1979. It was a short encounter, lasting only a few seconds, but the handshake that ensued went a long way to cementing the peace process in Northern Ireland. As Britain changed and became more culturally diverse, the Queen adapted to the changes. In 2012, while celebrating her Diamond Jubilee, she attended a multi-faith reception at Lambeth Palace, meeting the leaders of different faiths in this country, including Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism. At this event, the Queen highlighted the work of religious groups of all faiths commending them for having (and I quote) “… a proud track record of helping those in the greatest need, including the sick, the elderly, the lonely and the disadvantaged. They remind us of the responsibilities we have beyond ourselves.” As well as her duties as a monarch, Elizabeth was also a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother with a strong belief in the values of family life. The deep love and respect her family have for her is seen in the many tributes that they have paid to her over the years - and indeed on her death. And for many of us, Elizabeth II was the only monarch we had ever known. She has been an ever-constant in our lives. But the constant in her life was her faith in Jesus Christ, which she described as the “anchor” in her life. Throughout her long life, Christ’s example and teaching have been seen acted out in her dutiful and faithful life. It seems that her prayer from the start of her reign had been answered. God did, indeed, save the Queen.
Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury on the Death of Her Majesty The Queen 08/09/2022 It is with profound sadness that I join the nation, the Commonwealth and the world in mourning the death of Her Late Majesty The Queen. My prayers are with The King and the Royal Family. May God draw near them and comfort them in the days, weeks and months ahead. As we grieve together, we know that, in losing our beloved Queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society. As deep as our grief runs, even deeper is our gratitude for Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary dedication to the United Kingdom, her Realms and the Commonwealth. Through times of war and hardship, through seasons of upheaval and change, and through moments of joy and celebration, we have been sustained by Her Late Majesty’s faith in what and who we are called to be. In the darkest days of the Coronavirus pandemic, The Late Queen spoke powerfully of the light that no darkness can overcome. As she had done before, she reminded us of a deep truth about ourselves – we are a people of hope who care for one another. Even as The Late Queen mourned the loss of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, we saw once again evidence of her courage, resilience and instinct for putting the needs of others first – all signs of a deeply rooted Christian faith. As we sustain one another in the face of this challenge, our shared grieving will also be a work of shared reimagining. I pray that we commence this journey with a sense of Her Late Majesty’s faith and confidence in the future. As a faithful Christian disciple, and also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she lived out her faith every day of her life. Her trust in God and profound love for God was foundational in how she led her life – hour by hour, day by day. In The Late Queen’s life, we saw what it means to receive the gift of life we have been given by God and – through patient, humble, selfless service – share it as a gift to others. Her Late Majesty found great joy and fulfilment in the service of her people and her God, “whose service is perfect freedom” (BCP). For giving her whole life to us, and allowing her life of service to be an instrument of God’s peace among us, we owe her a debt of gratitude beyond measure. The Late Queen leaves behind a truly extraordinary legacy: one that is found in almost every corner of our national life, as well as the lives of so many nations around the world, and especially in the Commonwealth. It was my great privilege to meet Her Late Majesty on many occasions. Her clarity of thinking, capacity for careful listening, inquiring mind, humour, remarkable memory and extraordinary kindness invariably left me conscious of the blessing that she has been to us all. In my prayers at this time I also give thanks for the marriage of The Late Queen and His Late Royal Highness Prince Philip. Theirs was an inspirational example of Christian marriage – rooted in friendship, nourished by shared faith, and turned outwards in service to others. May Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace and rise in glory. The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury
Book of Remembrance, Prayers, and laying flowers at All Saints.Our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, lived out her deeply held Christian faith in every aspect of her daily life and committed service to the United Kingdom, the Common-wealth, and her cherished family.All Saints Church Alrewas gives thanks to God for her inspired witness and devotion, and the church is open daily for all to offer prayers, write messages for an informal Book of Remembrance, and express to God our grief and our gratitude at this time.You are welcome to write messages of condolence or thanksgiving on a page, which will be used to create our own informal 'Book of Remembrance' for our beloved Queen Elizabeth II.Prayers may be added to the Prayer Board (please use available notelets).You are welcome to lay memorial flowers which may be placed by the Lady Chapel.You can also sign the book of condolance and light a virtual candle on the Church of England website:<a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/?fbclid=IwAR2SsEDT_-MzTfg6elTGjzb04uMQq4-9BTAeadokCMaHMcPREwX1X9-Cc4A">https://www.churchofengland.org/</a>
Following the official announcement this evening (8th September) of the very sad news of the death this afternoon of our Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who has served our United Kingdom and Commonwealth with over 70 years of faithful, dedicated service as our Queen during her amazing 96 year long life, all of us will wish to honour her life and mourn her passing in ways which feel appropriate to each of us in our village community. The Union Jack flag is now at half-mast on the church tower, and the tower floodlights are on until midnight tonight, as an initial sign of our grief as a nation, and our gratitude for a life which has touched countless millions of people over the years of her faithful service to God, Country, and the international community as well.In addition to being open and available each day of the week (as it normally is), All Saints Parish Church will be available to all who may wish to call in to offer prayers for the life and service of our Queen (as well as our prayers for her successor, King Charles III and all the members of the Royal Family at this time of great personal loss), to write a message of consolation/thanksgiving to contribute to our own informal village ‘Book of Remembrance’, and – for any who wish - to lay flowers by the Lady Chapel altar (on the left side of the church). Further information regarding any special services to remember and celebrate our Queen and her extraordinary life, service and Christian witness will be communicated to the community via social media, notice boards, etc. as soon as it becomes available.With the assurance of my prayers for our Royal Family, and for all of our village community at this time –Vicar John Allan
