Parish Magazine Item for June

From the Rectory

Our churches and villages, Dallington school and Punnetts Town are all busy planning how we’re going to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. You can find further details later in the magazine and I look forward to seeing you at some of the events.

 

Whether or not you’re a monarchist, I think it’s hard not to admire Her Majesty’s amazing life-time of selfless public service.

The idea of a ruler who serves is, of course, a Biblical one, and no doubt the Queen has often been inspired by her own deeply-felt Christian faith and the example of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church of England has produced a prayer for the Jubilee which goes like this:

God of time and eternity,
whose Son reigns as servant, not master;
we give you thanks and praise
that you have blessed this Nation, the Realms and Territories
with ELIZABETH,
our beloved and glorious Queen.
In this year of Jubilee,
grant her your gifts of love and joy and peace
as she continues in faithful obedience to you, her Lord and God
and in devoted service to her lands and peoples,
and those of the Commonwealth,
now and all the days of her life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Now, it’s far above my pay-grade to quibble with the worthy ecclesiastics who penned that prayer! But I might not have put it quite like that.

According to the Bible, Jesus does reign as master. He is, after all, Almighty God himself. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, enthroned on high. He rightly claims all authority in heaven and earth. He made us and own us. We, his subjects, owe total allegiance to him.

If you ask me, it would have been better to say that Jesus reigns not only as master, but also as a servant.

The point is this: Jesus is the Servant King. He re-writes our notions of power and authority. Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Throughout history many people have laid down their lives in war for King and Country. King Jesus came to lay down his life for his people. Jesus shows us that true greatness lies in self-sacrificial service. His crown was a crown of thorns; his throne was a cross. His Kingdom is not from this world. He is a humble, gentle king. Jesus isn’t another Caesar. His rule is counter-cultural, revolutionary. He doesn’t lord it over his people. There’s nothing tyrannical or oppressive or exploitative about his Kingdom. Jesus isn’t jumped up or bossy. His service is perfect peace. Subjection to him is real freedom.

It seems to me that Her Majesty knows that, and that we would do well to follow her example, as she follows that of the Lord Jesus.

The Rev’d Marc Lloyd