Last Sunday morning we came together to worship God and to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and to give thanks for her faith in God which has been central to her life of service to the Nation and the Commonwealth. Sue Fox gave a warm welcome to our congregation and to our minister the Rev’d Mark Lawrence and his wife Carolyn Lawrence who was to assist him with the service. Mark had chosen hymns used in Her Majesty’s Coronation Service 70 years ago and we began by singing “All people who in earth do dwell, sing to the Lord with cheerful voice”. Music was provided by Neil Barnett on the organ. Mark chose prayers used at the Coronation and in the Te Deum in his opening prayers of thanksgiving.
We then had a light-hearted quiz with ten questions about the Queen which we all enjoyed following which we sang “Praise my soul the king of heaven”, another favourite hymn of the Queen. Ron Lucas read Psalm 122 which speaks of praising Jerusalem, and then one of the Queen’s favourite parables in Luke, chapter ten, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Our prayers for others were led by Carolyn Lawrence which included prayers for the Queen and the Royal family, those suffering difficulties making ends meet and for the suffering in the world especially in Ukraine.
After our singing “The Lord’s my Shepherd I will not want he makes me down to lie” Mark preached his sermon describing how in leading up to the Coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the Queen some devotions in her preparation for the event. Her anointment, so sacred it was hidden from view, became a keystone for her Christian faith and her dedication to service for the rest of her life, but she knew she was not undertaking the journey alone as God was with her; the servant Queen and the King she serves. We gave thanks to Elizabeth the Second for her devoted service to our nation.
Our worship concluded as we sang our final hymn “To God be the Glory, great things he has done!” and after the blessing we sang the National Anthem to conclude a memorable service. Our celebration continued, however, as we all enjoyed a splendid bring and share Platinum Jubilee lunch.
