Is our attention is focused on the crown or the circle? The official birthday celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen will lead to many celebrations. Thanksgiving services will mark her long a fruitful reign as our monarch, making the crown prominent in our minds. Others may be preoccupied with the circle: the flag of Europe, which consists of a circle of twelve golden (yellow), stars on an azure background, and whether we remain part of the EU. Despite the referendum looming on the horizon this month, this is not going to be a political article. For true sovereignty lay beyond politics, as it rests in the hands of God.
This is seen from the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor. Jesus remained silent in the face of accusations leveled against him, ‘Pilate said: “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or crucify you?” To which Jesus replied, “You would have no power over me if it were not given you from above” ‘ (John 19v10-11).
Queen Elizabeth II has a strong sense of having delegated powers and serving the eternal King: “I know just how much I rely on my faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God…I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel” [The Queen, Christmas 2002].
The Lord Jesus is the true sovereign. He reigns supreme and all will one day be answerable to Him. At the end of the Holy Bible He is seen in a vision riding on a white horse called Faithful and True, coming to judge people with justice: ‘On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written – “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” ‘ (Rev 19v16). We are to keep in mind that it is He who alone determines the course of our lives and to whom we are to give an account.
I hope that the celebrations for the servant Queen will also prompt us to think again about the King she serves.
Christ Church Magazine June 2016
Paul Kingman
June 2016