From the
moment of the Queen's arrival at the Abbey, the elderly Marquess of Salisbury
had been bearing, in two handed grip, with the blade upright, the Great Sword
of State. It is an enormous weapon, over 4 feet in height and weighing
more than eight pounds, and it is splendid to behold. The sword is
crossed with the lion on one side of the hilt and the unicorn on the other; the
scabbard is fabulously worked with jewels in the floral symbols of the United
Kingdom.
Now,
something of a Sword Dance began, as the aged (but able!) Marquess at last
surrendered the Great Sword of State to the Lord Chamberlain of the Household,
and then the Sword of the Offering was placed in his hands. This one is
known to be the truly beautiful sister, sword and scabbard covered with the
rarest gems, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies, blade of Damascus
steel. Its price is beyond calculation. It was presented unsheathed
to the Archbishop, who brought it before God at the Altar, praying these words
from the Liber Regalis (Regal Book,) that the Queen might use it “as
the Minister of God for the terror and punishment of evildoers, and for the
protection and encouragement of those that do well.” Somebody has
been reading their Scripture passages!
Then,
joined by the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of London and Winchester, the
bejeweled Sword caught the light and sparkled all the way to Elizabeth and was
placed upright in her hand.
The
Archbishop prayed as Her Majesty received the only sword that would be
presented to her. The others were borne before her. “With
this Sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity, protect the Holy Church of
God, help and defend widows and orphans, restore the things that are gone to
decay, maintain the things that are restored, punish and reform what is amiss,
and confirm what is in good order . . .” This sword came to
Elizabeth through her subjects, to the State, to the Church, to God, and again
through the Church to the Queen, which is to say, State and Church acknowledged
her right to bear it.
Our
Sword is of God; rightly understood, our Sword is God, as Jesus
Christ is the Word, and the Word is our Sword. (Ephesians 6:17) By it we
invoke justice, the Lord’s brand of justice, with mercy triumphant, and we pray
for those who are desperate, fallen and lost. We stop the growth of
iniquity where fear and depression and violence seek to harm those we love, protecting
and defending them with the very effectual prayer of faith from
the heart of a righteous subject of God Most High. We care for widows and
orphans, restoring decayed family relationships and confirming what is good
through our worship and praise and intercession.
But
there is more . . . let us pray today, pray as those who bear the Sword
of God, and tomorrow we will see more of this great display of power,
protection, and privilege.
The Sword of State, Wikipedia
No comments:
Post a Comment