SERMON ON PLATINUM JUBILEE SUNDAY JUNE 5TH 2022
FIRST READING Proverbs 8.1-16
Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: ‘To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to one who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. I, wisdom, live with prudence, and I attain knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly.
For the wisdom that guides us We praise you, O God.
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England has had 40 sovereigns since William the Conqueror. 21 have reigned for 20 years or more.12 for 30 years or more. And 5 for 50 years or more which include Queen Victoria and our beloved Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth II.
The other three in this reign of 50 years plus, what might be called the ”Big Nine”, the three Thirds, George, Henry and Edward.
This Platinum Jubilee Sunday is a celebration of longevity.
Or is it?
Length of tenure is of course only one attribute of the Queen’s reign.
What, I suggest, is more important, and for what we are really giving thanks to God for this morning is the “What” and the “How” Her Majesty has conducted her reign.
We will all have our own thoughts on “what” she has done.
Let us this morning reflect on the “How.”
This is important for all of us, but when we remember our sovereign is Head of our Church, and we know from what she has said, that this is so much more to her than a titular role, this “How” is perhaps especially important for people of faith.
Here this morning within the walls of our church, let us ponder on Her Majesty’s example of living a life of Christian faith and “how” she has led our nation.
Her leadership has embraced many of the qualities referred to in this morning’s reading from the Book of Proverbs, a reading I am sure you will agree, has not been selected by accident.
A professor of the Old Testament puts it like this on Proverbs:
The Book sets itself primarily on establishing practical, matter-of-fact rules for conduct, giving it a strongly ethical flavour.
Proverbs stressed the importance of attitudes and established lifestyles. So it frequently contrasted the behaviour of the righteous with that of the wicked, the fool with the wise person, the lazy with the industrious, and the God-fearing with the malicious and arrogant troublemaker. Practicality predominates over cleverness. There is a desire to encourage thoughtful, restrained conduct, to emphasise obedience towards parents and to cultivate polite speech.
Note the Professor’s words:
Righteous, wise, industrious, and God fearing.
Words which I am sure, we all associate with our Queen and her ethical leadership.
Proverbs 8, this morning’s reading, says the following – all of which I suggest embody her Christmas broadcasts:
Hear for I will speak of noble things –
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips
All the words of my mouth are righteous
There is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
It is almost as though our Queen models her spoken or written words on the precepts of Proverbs 8.
As taught by Proverbs, our Queen is God fearing – not in a sense of provoking the ire of God, but rather fearful of not living up to the standards that the life of Jesus Christ has set before us and the task she set herself in her speech on hr 21st Birthday when she said:
I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.
How on earth has she been able to sustain this devotion to our service for over 75 years?
Perhaps the clue is in her strong Christian faith.
She spoke of her faith in her Christmas 2000 broadcast: “For me, the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life.”
For the Queen, accountability before God does not just mean viewing religion thorough the Christian lens. Strong relations with other faiths are vitally important to the Queen and the life of our country.
Her worldview and her empathy with others shone out in her Diamond Jubilee visit to Lambeth Palace when as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she said:
We should remind ourselves of the significant position of the Church of England in our nation’s life. The concept of our established Church is occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country.
She continued:
Gently and assuredly, the Church of England has created an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to live freely. Woven into the fabric of this country, the Church has helped to build a better society – more and more in active co-operation for the common good with those of other faiths.
The occasion is thus an opportunity to reflect on the importance of faith in creating and sustaining communities all over the United Kingdom.
Here is the United Benefice, we too seek greater knowledge and dialogue with other faiths, as witnessed by our recent courses on the great World Religions.
This morning we give thanks to God for the life, leadership and unstinting service our beloved Sovereign Lady gives to our country, to our church, the Commonwealth and the wider world.
We give thanks for the encouragement and empathy she gives to all who she meets, for the qualities of wisdom she exudes, her recognition of the importance of reconciliation.
We pray our churches may continue to foster an environment for other faith communities and people of no faith to live freely.
And we pray that in our daily lives, we may follow her example.
Let me close with some words from her 2008 Christmas broadcast.
“I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life. He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served.”
Fr. Peter Wolton
June 5 2022