The
bells in the north-west Abbey tower are pealing wildly, and ‘by signal given’
the mighty guns at the Tower begin to fire. The millions of souls on the streets are cheering “God Save
the Queen! God Save the Queen.” Archbishop Fisher lifts the ancient
crown very high; it seems suspended in air for a moment, and then . . . it
rests where it belongs, on the head of the Sovereign of the Realm, the fortieth
from William the Conqueror, but at least the 63rd from the very
first rulers of the British Isles.
When the tumult in the Abbey
finally began to recede, the Archbishop spoke these words that had been spoken
over those who had sat where she was sitting since 973 . . .
“God crown you with a crown of glory and righteousness, that having a
right faith and manifold fruit of good works, you may obtain the crown of an
everlasting kingdom by the gift of Him whose kingdom endureth forever.”
From the first entries in this
little volume, we have been moving toward this day. We spoke of traveling through life, crowned with
lovingkindness and compassion, as Elizabeth wore the George IV diadem to her
Coronation. St. Edward’s crown,
magnificent upon her royal head, is to us that other crown, the one
which we are yet to wear.
Might not there have been a faithful
little housewife, a humble coal miner or gardener or cobbler or bank treasurer
who knew, as the moment came at last, that their moment would come some day,
when they would have crowns of righteousness to lay at the feet of Jesus? Without doubt, such thoughts must have
filled the hearts of many, those who knew their Bibles, who knew that a royal
heritage was not Elizabeth’s alone.
As
the cheering went on in the streets, one jubilant crescendo after another, the
choir inside the Abbey took up a ten century-old anthem, the “Confortaré” of King Edgar’s day of
enthronement.
“Be strong and of good courage,” they
sang. “Keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His ways.”
If
ever she had been her own woman before, that life had come to an end for Elizabeth,
but she willingly gave herself to the Recognition and the Anointing and the
Investiture and the Crowning . . . not at all far removed our lives, rightly
lived, for we are “bought with a price, and we are not our own. (1 Corinthians
6:19 and 20)
Now
the Archbishop, in his full ecclesiastical splendor, pronounced the Benediction
over Elizabeth and the Peoples of the Commonwealth during this reign.
An
honor guard of peers of every degree was forming up the steps to the
throne.
At earliest coronations, and
according to the Liber Regalis, the Sovereign was to be enthroned at some
height, where he would be visible to the people, and he was lifted, literally
carried, to the throne.
Elizabeth rose from St. Edward’s
chair, facing the congregation for the first time since the Recognition. She looked so small and so strong and
so delicate and so determined. She mounted the five steps, and by
simply reaching out to touch her as she turned (and to help her with the yards
in length and pounds of weight of her robes,) they “set her” upon her
throne.
“Stand firm and hold fast from
henceforth the seat and state of royal and imperial dignity . . .” said
the Archbishop.
“ ‘Watch, stand fast in the
faith, be brave, be strong . . .’, and ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty by
which Christ has made us free . . .’, said the emissary of the Bishop
and Guardian of our souls.
“Therefore, my beloved and
longed-for brethren, my joy and my crown, so stand fast in the Lord,
beloved.’” (1 Cor. 16:13, Galatians
5:1, Philippians 4:1)
Day after day we have seen that we
have a rightful place . . . a necessary place . . . in the Kingdom of God, and
thus in history. This is what
Elizabeth saw and believed on behalf of her nation, and although our history is
lived out on a very small stage, it is still recorded in heavenly annals.
We are lifted up to take our
place at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1, 2) Should we fail to do so, families and churches and
governments, and nations which are comprised of these, will fail. Our reign will be lost and the Kingdom
of God will not prosper in our sovereign care, for caring is sovereign, as
Elizabeth knows so well. These
thirty-two days together are about the majesty of caring enough to make
sure we live according to the royal law of love. This will require diligence, effort, perseverance, planning, the willingness to be misunderstood, and sacrifice.
The Queen went out from Westminster
Abbey to return to work the next morning, a grueling schedule, an unbending
regime, a heavy burden of responsibility.
All the Regalia and all the Vestments were returned at close of day to
the Tower of London, and the Queen returned to her desk, her “boxes,” delivered
twice daily, every day, of official correspondence, her meetings and briefings and public appearances.
We have seen Her Majesty, seated in
splendor upon her Throne, but when the new day dawned, she was, as before, one
of the hardest-working women on earth, now consecrated to every effort, every
difficulty and decision, and yes, every sacrifice.
She has made a point of making others feel that their work and service
matters supremely. Her life tells
us: if we will do what we have been given to do with all our hearts,
persevering in all trial and all affliction, if we will continue in peace and
goodwill, trusting in God and doing what is right, we will not fail of the
majesty of our calling.
She has not failed. She has triumphed, and so shall we, for
Christ is our life, and His love never fails. We are crowned and robed with it, vested with faith and
hope, possessing the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and wearing
the Lord’s signet … “I am my Beloved’s, and He is mine” (Ephesians 6:17 and Song of Solomon 6:3)
This remains … we may take the seat
of sovereign care, where we will bear the burdens of others and so fulfill the
law of Christ (Galatians 6:2,) casting our own care upon Him Who cares for us
(1Peter 5:6, 7.) This is majesty .
. . this is the wearing of the royal robes and the possession of the almighty
scepter. (Psalm 125:3) This is the
day-to-day measure of a life that will one day be crowned on high. (Revelation 2:10)
Tomorrow and the next day, we will
see the last and vital parts of this ceremony. Today, we are crowned in beauty, robed in splendor . . . even
if all that others see is that we took time with them, that we maintained a
happy hope, and that we found our joy in the life we live in our Savior, the
Humble King of Kings and Lord of All.
portrait by,
Sir Terence Cuneo, 1953
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