Today we are giving thanks to God and celebrating this Diamond Jubilee year of the reign of our Queen; and very rightly so for we have so much to celebrate and to give thanks for.
I’m sure a number of you here this morning will have sworn an oath of allegiance to her at some point in your lives. When I was commissioned from Sandhurst into my regiment in the army I had to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. And as a parish priest I have had to swear an oath of allegiance to her each time on taking up a new post. This I have always gladly done. But I have to say, I have always found it somewhat strange that army officers swear this oath only the once, whereas Church of England clergy must do so every time they change posts. I shall leave it to you to decide what this seems to imply either about their respective trustworthiness – or simply their memories!
On day one at Sandhurst each new officer cadet is issued, along with all the necessary kit, with a little red book entitled ‘Serve to Lead’, a title in which the whole understanding of the art or science of effective leadership is expressed: just three words ‘Serve to Lead’. It was only a little book but it contained great wisdom. Later on, when I became a clergyman, and had begun to witness at first hand the Church of England’s understanding and practice of leadership, I suggested to my bishop at the time that this little red book would be a very useful addition to the reading lists not only of young clergy in training but also of their clerical trainers. In terms of his response, all I can say is that it was very probably from about that time that I began to be marked down as a trouble maker. But I would still recommend it to anyone with aspirations to effective leadership.
Now the reason why I mention that little red book is that the principles you will find there accord very closely with what we discover in the Bible about leadership and in the teaching and example of Jesus.
Much of what you will find in both books runs counter to the way much leadership is exercised today, whether in politics, in business, in altogether too many walks of life, and, sadly, even in the Church. But in her Majesty the Queen – who, I am quite sure, has read both books because she cares passionately about her duty to and her love for both her Heavenly Lord and her earthly subjects – we see the principles found in this little book very much at work.
Those who know her well attest to the depth and strength of this duty and love in both these respects: indeed an old friend of mine who was A-D-C to the Queen Mother said how profoundly motivating this was and, consequently, how inspiring of service in and from others.
The Chief Rabbi, writing in The Times earlier this week had this to say: ’Hers has been the quiet heroism of service, and in an age of self-obsession she has been a role model of duty, selflessly and graciously fulfilled.’ It is a fact that the Queen has not only set her face firmly against anti-Semitism but she has always warmly welcomed to this country those of other faiths and cultures. It is a great shame, is it not, that more council, borough, Health Trust officers and others have not learned from her about religious and cultural tolerance and about genuine inclusiveness. Again the Chief Rabbi: ‘In her religious role, the Queen is head of the Church of England, but in her civic role she cares for all her subjects, and no one is better at making everyone she meets feel valued. Very interestingly, he adds, ‘the religious dimension of the throne makes it better placed than secular institutions to value and unite Britain’s many faiths’.
If we take the example of our Queen then, we can see that she has embodied the very teaching of our Lord presented in today’s Gospel reading; teaching that is hugely valuable for anyone wishing to exercise authority in a healthy and effective way - as much for themselves as for those whom they would lead. Why there is even something here for atheists and republicans – though I cannot believe there to be many of the latter here in Brenchley! The context for the teaching is a dispute amongst Jesus’ own disciples as to who would be regarded as the greatest.
Now it is a natural human response to the offer or exercise of authority or power to pursue it for one’s own benefit; in the words of Jesus here, to ‘Lord it’ over others, with all the unfortunate and unhealthy consequences such an attitude has not only for the lives of those they lead but also in the characters of those leading. Jesus adds - strangely you might at first think - that they are called ‘benefactors’. But he is almost certainly speaking tongue in cheek here and poking fun at those in authority whose motivation is solely popularity or the improving of their own social profiles.
‘But not so with you’, he demands of all those who would honour him and follow his example. We see here that two of the key elements in the exercise of Christian leadership, wherever this is exercised – and I think that for the Christian, in whichever way of life we have chosen it is incumbent upon us to practise our leadership in a Christian manner and according to Christian principles – are, first, a willingness to serve all people regardless; and, secondly, not to be ashamed of but to acknowledge publicly and live by our Christian faith.
In our Gospel passage, Jesus actually promises his heavenly Kingdom to those who will be faithful in these very two things: so our motivation must be to serve others, and to serve all – whatever their station in life. And, secondly, when we see Christianity attacked, when we see our fellow Christians being persecuted, whether abroad or, as is increasingly the case, at home here in England, we must stand by Jesus by standing by them in such trials. Remember those harrowing words of his, ‘What you do for the least of these my brethren you do for me’?
Her Majesty the Queen has most certainly and faithfully fulfilled these two Christian duties and has done so with love; love for her Heavenly Lord and love for her earthly subjects. She has served all and has not been ashamed publicly to confess her faith in Christ. I would just like to end by quoting from her last year’s Christmas Message to the Commonwealth.
‘Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour with the power to forgive. It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.’
God save the Queen!
No comments:
Post a Comment