The Servant Queen and the King she serves Paperback – 2016

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It is a measure of the Commonwealth’s value that even when Pakistan left because the other members recognised Bangladesh, they felt the association was important enough to re-join some 17 years later. And in 2021, when Barbados became a republic rather than a constitutional monarchy under the Queen, it stayed a member of the Commonwealth. The proud island nation invited Prince Charles to make a speech on Elizabeth’s behalf, in which he reaffirmed The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen at first hand the remarkable results of his, and his wife [Sue Ryder]’s determination to put Christ’s teaching to practical effect.’ For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance, and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.’ (2014)

Similarly, the Queen frequently expresses her concern for the grieving and for those ‘on the edge of society’ – the lonely, the hungry, the poor, people who ‘feel cut off and disadvantaged’, for whom ‘the world can seem a distant and hostile place’ (2007). Her compassion is clear. Again, you don’t have to be a Christian to do that, but the Queen has made it clear that her concern springs from Christian teaching ‘to love their neighbours, having compassion and concern, and being ready to undertake charity and voluntary work to ease the burden of deprivation and disadvantage’ (2009). It was striking when we put together a book for children about the Queen’s faith to mark her Platinum Jubilee to see just how often she spoke of Jesus. In 2012, she reminded us that “this is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only Son to serve, not to be served,” both to save us and as an example to us. She followed that example. In our era, when duty has fallen out of fashion and “being true to yourself” has become the lodestar for a generation, she marched resolutely to a different beat. Hers was a life of service, not self-actualisation. Behind Palace walls apparently the Queen likes to sing and dance. The Queen's cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson said: "We did a lot of singing at Kensington Palace. Nobody thought it was odd after dinner if we put on a record and all sang The Lambeth Walk. The Queen is a fantastic dancer. She's got great rhythm." The Servant Queen This hugely popular book explores the personal faith of Queen Elizabeth II, filled with beautiful photos of the Queen and her family through the years. Throughout the dominions the Queen ruled, no one under the age of 70 has known another monarch. The nature of this world is ever-changing and often uncertain. But she was a fixed point. The Queen was always part of life—rarely front and centre in our consciousness, but always there. She connected us to our past. She’d endured the Blitz of London in the Second World War; her first prime minister had been Winston Churchill; her mother had been born in the Victorian age. Everything changes; but, in many ways, she did not. Until today.Our Christian faith helps us to sustain those convictions. Christ not only revealed to us the truth in his teachings. He lived by what he believed and gave us the strength to try to do the same – and, finally, on the cross, he showed the supreme example of physical and moral courage.’ (1990) For Elizabeth, Christ’s ‘formula’ works in the real world. Indeed, one of the things she admires about Christ’s teaching is that it is practical. Faith in him should lead to works for him, works that have a particular selfless character. This essay doesn’t reprise the key events of Her Majesty’s reign – there’s much on that in my book The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. Rather, it looks more deeply at the character of the Queen’s faith: its biblical roots, and her understanding of Jesus and his priorities. And it explores how those have shaped her as a disciple, her vision for her role as sovereign, her vision for the nations and their citizens, and her vision for the Commonwealth. But however smooth or eloquent, it’s unlikely any eulogy will sum her up better than the title of that book. Though she was herself a queen, Her Majesty always knew she had a sovereign and that he loved her, died for her, had forgiven her, and now called her to live a life of loving service in response. She may have been a queen, but she saw herself first and foremost as the subject of the King. “Billions of people follow Christ’s teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives,” she once said. “I am one of them.” In sum, one of the reasons the Queen follows Christ is because he so clearly and consistently practices what he preaches. In him, word and deed match perfectly. He calls us to do the same. And so, in her speeches to the nation, the Queen echoes his call, encouraging every person to see that they have both a responsibility and an opportunity to contribute to the national good.

For her, service and love are bound together. Service should lead to taking initiative to love one’s neighbour, and neighbour-love should be shaped by selfless service rather than self-interest. And that has been the keynote of her reign. It is what she highlights in Christ, what she calls others to, and what she aspires to herself: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.’ That’s the promise she made to the nation and Commonwealth on her 21st birthday. Seventy-four years later she returned to that theme in her short Platinum Jubilee letter, opening her final paragraph with these words: Dywedodd ‘Pwyslais mawr Crist oedd yr angen i roi nod ymarferol i ysbrydolrwydd’, gan ychwanegu: 'I mi mae dysgeidiaeth Crist a'm hatebolrwydd personol fy hun gerbron Duw yn cynnig fframwaith sy’n rhoi arweiniad i’m bywyd. Fel cynifer ohonoch, yr wyf wedi canfod cysur mawr mewn cyfnodau anodd yng ngeiriau ac esiampl Crist. Maybe those years inspired the Queen to say: "To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal 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." (Christmas message, 2000) Her Majesty also alluded to the current problems in the Middle East saying that the world is now experiencing “terrible suffering on an unprecedented scale”. That said, the Queen does not commend Jesus merely as a teacher example, and source of strength, but something more too:

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In an article 'Defender of the faith' Gillan Scott wrote: "Jesus is the Servant King, but Elizabeth perhaps should be known as the servant queen. For not only has she sought to serve us as her people, but she has also chosen to place herself under authority, serving Jesus as her own Lord and Master and seeking to follow in his footsteps." At her coronation she vowed to serve us all and uphold the laws of God. Thank you that she kept the faith.

It is because Christ said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Matthew 5:9) that she affirmed ordinary people pursuing peace in troubled lands – particularly ‘those who are hardly aware of what they do’ (1995). This beautiful book explores Elizabeth’s own answer to that question, highlighting how her dynamic Christian faith shaped her vision for her role, and empowered her to be the inspiring servant and example she was, and remains. Indeed, as the years have gone by, the Queen has focused more explicitly on how Christ offers hope. It is not just that he is the light of the world but that the light points to particular ways of living. In 1972, as the conflict in Northern Ireland continued to maim and kill, she spoke clearly about her own yearning and hope: ‘Christ taught love and charity and that we should show humanity and compassion at all times and in all situations.’ Who knows what the future of the monarchy will be? Many loved Elizabeth rather than the institution itself. But while to many, monarchy is an anachronism—and they may be right—it’s worth remembering that as Christians, we’re looking forward to living under an absolute monarch. Indeed, one of the reasons she is so admired by people of other faiths is precisely because she is a person of sincere faith herself and understands the role that living faith plays in people’s lives. As head of the Church of England, she sees that it ‘has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country’ (Lambeth Palace, 2012). Again, this is rooted in Christ’s example:Ron Ross is a Middle East consultant for United Christian Broadcasters (Vision FM). Previously he was radio news editor for Bridges for Peace in Jerusalem, Israel. In partnership with Bible Society and HOPE, we marked the occasion with a book, The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, which takes a closer look at the Queen’s personal faith in Jesus and the impact it had on her long life of service to the nation. To the extent that Elizabeth was kind, servant-hearted, and consistent, she showed us the blessing it is to live under a good ruler. the programme has shown Christianity as a living faith not only through hymns and worship songs, but also by featuring the many people who have put their faith at the centre of their lives.’ (Emphasis mine.)