Queen Elizabeth II: A life of service
Wednesday, 28 September 2022
| John Kidson
'The Lord controls the mind of a king as easily as he directs the course of a stream.' (Proverbs 21:1)
The media hardly mentioned one of Her late Majesty's official roles. As 'Defender of the Faith', she was the ceremonial head of the Church of England. At least two other aspects, largely ignored by media, are now emerging in the warm glow of posthumous anecdotes and stories: the Queen's gentle sense of humour and her personal faith in Jesus. During the 1970 Royal Tour of Australia, I was invited to meet the Queen at a 'Young Peoples' Reception' in the somewhat infamous, now gone, 'Trocadero' nightspot in Sydney.
It wasn't my late teenage angst, my Scottish heritage nor Grandpa's tales of Jacobite rebellion that rendered me speechless that night. Able only to respond to Her Majesty's comments with a mumbling 'Ma'am' and a weak smile, I was 'Gob-smacked!' I was relieved that others quickly gained her attention. The occasion had been a privilege, yet I remained unaware of Her Majesty's quiet humour and public faith. The media, neither then nor since, sought to highlight either aspect. While it doesn't control the mind of any sovereign, the media certainly comments, seeks to influence and selectively reports in a context of its own choosing.
How would any media of the day report on the Roman Governor at Jesus' trial? One record says that he told his prisoner: ‘I have power to release you and power to crucify you!’
Jesus, acknowledging the proverb, responded: ‘You would have no power at all over me if it wasn't given to you from above’. (John 19). We now are told plainly that, throughout her life, Queen Elizabeth II was a faithful Christian witness to the world and a defender of the Christian faith. In contrast with the Roman Governor, and numerous powerful others, our late monarch knelt before the King of Kings and promised her people saying: ‘Whether my life is long or short I will dedicate it to your service’. We mourn her passing, and we celebrate and give thanks for her long life and faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ.
John Kidson writes regularly for Engage.Mail. He is a former uni chaplain and now ministers part time in the Anglican diocese of Grafton.
Image credits
Queen Elizabeth by Annie Spratt at Unsplash.
Queen Elizabeth by WikiImages at Pixibay.