麻豆约拍

A reflection and prayer marking the death of Her Majesty the Queen with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

Good morning.

At the centre of her Majesty the Queen鈥榮 faith, as it is for all Christians, was the person of Jesus Christ.

He is, says St Paul, 鈥渢he image of the invisible God鈥�, the one through whom God has become knowable.

Therefore, when Christians speak about God they speak about Jesus. He is the one we return to constantly to reset the compass of our own vocation and faithfulness, what Christians call discipleship.

For most Christians, it is shaped by daily prayer and devotion. This was also true for her Majesty the Queen and I suspect it was this simple daily commitment to prayer, and her faithfulness in attendance at the worship of the Church that was the secret, largely unseen, constant pulse bringing lifeblood and energy to her long life and long reign.

I remember when I had the fairly scary privilege of visiting her at Sandringham some years ago and I preached at worship in the Parish church on Sunday morning, although it felt to me a grand and special occasion, of course, once I actually got to the church, and once the service actually started, what struck me was how very ordinary it was.

Loving God, heavenly Father, thank you that so often our Queen was simply part of a congregation of faithful Christian people doing what faithful Christian people do. Help us to do the same.

Amen.

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