The Queen has a real sense of being called by God to serve her country, of being anointed and given the grace to fulfill her destiny. She has never made a secret of her Christian faith and through the ups and downs of the years, not least her own annus horribilis, she has relied on that faith and turned to God for strength and comfort. Indeed, in 2002, the year in which her mother and sister died, it was clear that she turned to God. She said at this time: ‘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. Like others of you who have drawn inspiration from your own faith, I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel.’

It is clear that at the heart of her monarchy and her role as Queen is a deep and committed Christian faithIt is clear that at the heart of her monarchy and her role as Queen is a deep and committed Christian faithThe Queen’s speech at 3pm each Christmas Day has become an important and established part of our celebrations. Over recent years the Queen has shared more personally and intimately of her own faith and the way that it helps her in living her life. As we entered into the new millennium, in the Year 2000, she gave in effect a personal witness to her faith. It is clear that at the heart of her monarchy and her role as Queen is a deep and committed Christian faith.

The fruits and gifts of the Spirit poured out at Pentecost are many and varied. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The gifts are the message of wisdom, the message of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers and prophecy (see 1 Cor. 12:7-11).

Centuries earlier the prophet Isaiah had pointed to the further blessings the Spirit would impart: ‘the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord’ (Isa. 11:1-2).

We see many of these gifts lived out in the life of our Queen, Elizabeth II. We see in her life great duty and dedication, faithfulness and love.

Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England on 2 June 1953. During the Coronation ceremony she was anointed with oil and the following prayer was said: ‘Strengthen her, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter; confirm and establish her with thy free and princely Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and government, the Spirit of counsel and ghostly strength, the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness, and fill her, O Lord, with the Spirit of thy holy fear, now and for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ Through the sixty years of her reign the Queen has been a great witness of the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. We celebrate her reign and we give thanks to God for her years of faithful and dedicated service.

How fitting that our National Anthem points to the Queen’s graciousness and nobility, and asks that God pour out upon her the blessings and graces of the Spirit: victory, happiness and longevity.

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!

The Queen too has always had a very clear sense of her call to serve others. The qualities needed to be faithful to our respective callings come from the Holy Spirit, the fruit often of ‘grace under pressure’. Some of these qualities may not seem to come from the Spirit but they do: persistence, faithfulness, long-suffering, patience and civil duty.

Never think yourself safe because you do your duty in ninety-nine points; it is the hundredth which is to be the ground of your self-denialBlessed John Henry Newman said: ‘Never think yourself safe because you do your duty in ninety-nine points; it is the hundredth which is to be the ground of your self-denial.’ The idea of duty, rather like sin, is perceived as a rather old-fashioned one today. Why is this? One of the reasons is that duty is called for when we least feel like being dutiful or following through on our promises or obligations. The spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. This is where the Spirit gives us strength and determination to be faithful and obedient to our promises. We see this quality of duty in the life of the Queen who carries out her responsibilities with great dignity and grace. Whatever our calling in life we too are called to be faithful and committed.

Lord, help me to be dutiful and diligent in the day-to-day, nitty-gritty, small things in my life.

St Paul preached to all, king or pauper, free man or slave. He was fearless, afraid of no one. He was a compelling and eloquent witness. We are blessed to have a Queen who is herself a compelling and eloquent witness of her Christian faith. In her Christmas Message 2011 she said: ‘God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive. 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.’ We give thanks to God for the direct and simple way the Queen witnesses to her faith. On another occasion she said:

‘Whether we believe in God or not, I think most of us have a sense of the spiritual, that recognition of a deeper meaning and purpose in our lives, and I believe that this sense flourishes despite the pressures of our world. For many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teaching of Christ, and my own accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example. I believe that the Christian message remains profoundly important to us all.’

We pray for our Queen and we thank God for her sixty years of love and service. We pray too for the institution of the monarchy and for the Queen’s successor who will be called to take up the baton of dedicated and selfless service she has so worthily carried all these years. While doing so, we also bear in mind that as Christian believers who honour the Queen and respect deeply her office, we, like our sovereign, are called to bow down before another King, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Knowing that Queen Elizabeth II shares our faith and looks to Jesus of Nazareth, as the true King and Lord, we affirm:

‘God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)