Congratulations to her Majesty on her fantastic achievement of reigning for 70 years. As you probably know, the Queen loves corgi dogs. To be honest, they are quite cute.
Here is a picture of her with James Bond and two of her corgis taken just before the London Olympics. Now then, I am going to ask the children to see how many corgis they can count in the next ten minutes. Some pictures are of other types of dog – so you have to be careful. It’s only corgis we’re interested in. And we’ll see at the end if you got the right number, starting with these two. Are you ready? OK.
Some of us can remember what we did on our 21st birthday. Maybe we celebrated with presents, a party, and cards with keys on, representing the freedom we now had as an adult.
On her 21st birthday Princess Elizabeth spoke not about her freedom, but about her duty which she vowed never to neglect. “I declare before you all” she said, “that my whole life whether… long or short shall be devoted to your service.”
As we look back on her 70 years as Queen, who can deny that her whole life and long reign have been utterly dedicated to us? What an amazing record! That’s royalty with loyalty.
The Queen’s full title is Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of Commonwealth, Fount of Justice, Commander-in-Chief, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor.
She once drove Saudi crown prince Abdullah around Balmoral in a Land Rover. Women were not, at that time, allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. And she wasn't just driving, she was careering round corners, accelerating along the narrow estate roads, talking with hand gestures the whole time. Crown prince Abdullah begged her to slow down and concentrate on the road ahead and was a quivering wreck by the end of the tour. The Queen smiled with satisfaction. She was, at that time, well into her seventies.
While most people her age ended their careers work for a comfortable existence of gardening and Saga cruises thirty-five years ago, the Queen still hasn’t retired. I’m not sure Prince Charles appreciates that!
What is her secret? In one Christmas speech, she said: "Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was… rejected by many, though he had done no wrong. And yet billions of people now… find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them.”
The Queen follows Jesus: the King of kings (and queens) who also laid down his life in love and service of others. The Queen’s mother read Bible stories to her every day when she was little and taught her to pray. She rarely misses church and is said to keep a well-read Bible by her bedside.
The evangelist Billy Graham met the Queen on several occasions and wrote in this autobiography, “I always found her very interested in the Bible and its message.”
The Queen once said: "I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad… I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel."
Some of you have met the Queen or been honoured by her in some way. She sends congratulations to people who live to 100 and signs every letter personally. I can imagine how exciting it must feel to appear on her Birthday Honours List or get a signed letter from her.
The Queen can bestow honours on you, she can make you a Lord or a Lady, a Sir or a Dame. But even she cannot make you her child to be a Prince or Princess.
Even if you kiss a frog, she can’t make you a prince. She cannot adopt you into the royal family and take you home to Buckingham Palace.
But the Bible says that if we have faith in Jesus, he adopts us into his Father’s family. He invites us to his heavenly home to live there forever.
Some say that Princess Elizabeth sneaked out of Buckingham Palace and joined in the street celebrations on V. E. Day. Apparently, she mingled anonymously in the crowds, dancing and cheering with everyone else.
I read once that the Queen used to slip out in disguise to see a West End show with Prince Philip. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t like to be caged up all my life, even if it was in a place as posh as Buckingham Palace.
We’ve all read fairy tales of Princes becoming paupers but the ultimate riches to rags story is in the Bible. It says that the King of kings emptied himself of all his majesty. He left glorious heaven and became a crying baby on a bed of straw.
It says “Jesus made Himself
nothing.” A refugee with no rights, fleeing for his life from King Herod. Then
he was a builder’s labourer. And then a homeless and penniless
preacher. He washed feet; the job of the lowest-ranked servant.
Then he descended lower still to be an innocent victim, dying a lonely and painful death on a cross. Never has anyone so regal been so rejected. But he willingly did it all for you.
We live in a broken world with broken hearts and broken lives. We are all a bit broken. We are estranged from God’s family. Until we accept Jesus’ royal pardon.
The Queen once spoke about this really clearly. She said: “Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves... God sent into the world a unique person… a Saviour, with the power to forgive.”
“Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal
broken families; it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided
communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love.”
What a preacher she is! Do you have room in your life for the love of God through Christ our Lord? He offers it to you, to forgive all sins, to reconnect you to the Father, to adopt you into the life and love of God.
“It is my prayer” said the Queen once, “that we may all find room in our lives for the love of God through Christ our Lord.” Elizabeth loves Jesus and trusts him as her Saviour. I wonder if you do today?
‘God save our gracious queen, long live our noble queen.’ Right – how many corgis? (There are 25 which is how old Princess Elizabeth was when she became our Queen 70 years ago).
All-Age talk at King's Church Darlington, 5 June 2022
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