Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me (John 14:1)
Who could have imagined the outpouring of public grief this past week? It has at times been overwhelming. We have all, in different ways, been caught up in the drama and emotion of this momentous event – the loss of a beloved Queen. In our conversations, on social media and in the newspapers, we cannot avoid it. We have seen the private grief of our royal family being lived out so publicly with such dignity and respect.
Let me share briefly three unexpected encounters this past week. You will have your own.
The first was at a bus stop. A young boy on his own suddenly turned and started talking to me. He told me that the Queen had died. He was sad. More so he was hoping that she would have lived to being 100 years old as he would have got the day off school. There was something rather touching about that.
The second was at the allotment. A longstanding friend told me she had watched the dignified Service of Thanksgiving last Friday evening from St Paul’s Cathedral. What had moved her most was the singing of the Nunc Dimittis at the end. At that moment she was transported back to her own mother’s funeral and all the memories which flooded in.
The third was at St Giles’ Cathedral. I had queued for around 4.45 hours and entered the building around 1.10am on Tuesday morning. I was unsure what to expect or how I would feel. You can ask me later. What I did notice was that some people stood still, some bowed, some curtsied. Others saluted; prayed and perhaps most moving of all - blew a kiss. These were all very personal and heartfelt reactions at this most historic occasion.
What I also noticed was the presence of Queen’s Chaplains in their distinctive red cassocks who kept constant vigil throughout. When I there we all stopped. They got up and started reading from St John’s gospel beginning with the words “Let not your hearts be troubled”. This same reading was read later during the service at Westminster Hall to begin the formal lying-in state and also here today.
In her latter years the Queen often spoke directly and more personally about her Christian faith. This included: -
“I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God” (2002)
“Billions of people now follow Christ’s teaching and find in him the guiding light in their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe” (2016).
Let us give thanks for a long life, well lived; for all that she meant to us and for the hope of glory that awaits us all.
O God, the maker and redeemer of all mankind, grant us, with thy servant Queen Elizabeth and all the faithful departed, the sure benefits of thy Son’s saving passion and glorious resurrection; that in the last day, when all things are gathered up in Christ, we may with them enjoy the fullness of thy promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord.