This weekend, as a Nation we have entered into a period of Mourning for our beloved Queen. She was a person of prayer, a person of real commitment and as her reign went on a person who reached out to all faiths, Christian and non-Christian, because her country changed so much in the 70 years she was monarch.
by Rev Deacon Michael Kennedy
Homily; Death of the Queen (24th Sunday of the Year)
The readings this weekend speak of God’s Love, God’s Forgiveness, and God’s Mercy. God’s ever presence in our lives even when we get it wrong and mess it up. God is ever faithful to us. God loves us and keeps calling us back to the fullness of life every day. It is through Jesus that we are brought back into that relationship with God our loving Father.
As a nation we often need moments of Reconciliation, of forgiveness, or acknowledging that we need to start again. And for so many of us, the person at the centre of leading us in those moments has been our Queen.
This weekend, as a Nation we have entered into a period of Mourning for our beloved Queen.
It’s hard to believe, she is no longer with us.
It’s hard to think that we will never again, in this life, see that smile, hear that voice, see the person who for so many of us has been the only Monarch we have ever known
What made Elizabeth the Second so Special? What made her so unique that people all over the world are coming together to mourn her loss, to remember her.
Well I think a lot of what made her so Special, made her Elizabeth the Great, as some commentators have been calling her was that her whole life, was a life of service, yes rooted in tradition, but also built on one thing, Her faith, her faith in God.
She was a person of prayer, a person of real commitment and as her reign went on a person who reached out to all faiths, Christian and non-Christian, because her country changed so much in the 70 years she was monarch.
Her faith in the Lord Jesus was something that she never ashamed of, she did not hold with this “it’s not politically correct to say I am a Christian”, she was proud to call herself a follower of Jesus Christ. And this came true each Christmas in her Christmas Message, always a message of hope but always rooted in Christian Values. It’s true to say that in these later years, once we had the midnight Mass or the Christmas Service on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, it was her message that was the only hint that we celebrating a Christian Festival.
She was chosen, and she saw her role, a role she never asked for, a role she was catapulted into when her father, King George VI ascended the throne following the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, then she, became the heir to the throne. A role she never expected to take on at such an early age.
But it was her faith that motivated, her sense of duty and commitment that drove her.
She was the Queen for all people. And she set out to serve all people.
And as society changed, as attitudes changed, so she, changed, Its true to say who ever would have expected a Head of State to take part in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games by making us all believe she had jumped out of an aeroplane and parachuted in the Olympic Stadium, Or more recently, a Monarch who as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations took tea with Paddington Bear,
But our Queen did. She helped the monarchy move with the times, she paved the way for the future, the future that now lies in the hands of our new King, Charles III. And already he is proving to be ready to take on this role to follow his dear mother in her duty, in her commitment, in her Service to our Nation and the Commonwealth,
These last few days have been History in the making. We have lived through it. We have all been part of it. We have witnesses’ pageant and ceremony not seen for 70 years and in some cases never seen in public.
When the death of the Queen was announced, I was at a meeting of our Year Six parents re Secondary School Applications, and so it was left to me to end that meeting with a moment of prayer and reflection. Of course I had nothing ready as I did not expect to be have to do this, but my first thoughts were, yes, we have lost our Queen, but to Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, they had lost their Mother, to her grandchildren they had lost a grandmother. We sometimes forget that our very public person, is also in private member of a family and a family is grieving this weekend.
So this weekend as we enter into his period or 10 days of official mourning we will no doubt hear and see many more images of her on our television, we will witness the ceremonies that will proceed her funeral, and we will hear how so many people, from world leaders to men and women, young and old will remember her.
On Friday evening I went to Buckingham Palace, to spend some time. Like so many people, it felt this was where we needed to be. I was fortunate to catch sight of our New King and Queen as they were driven from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House- and to wave to them, and in a sense to wish them well.
No longer will we hear God Save the Queen, but now we say God Save the King
“Today we give thanks for Queen Elizabeth’s lifetime of service to our country for her leadership of the Church of England during her 70 year reign. The celebrations we witnessed earlier this year for her Platinum Jubilee show how much respect and love people had for her.
“She will be remembered for her dedication, strength, warmth and her pride in our country.
But most of all we remember her for a person rooted in her deep Christian Faith, a faith you and I share.
May the Lord now welcome her, to that place prepared for those who believe.
“May Queen Elizabeth II, this good and faithful servant rest in the peace of the Risen Lord.”