By Esther Milne
My love for the Royal Family dates back to that summer day in 1981, when as a young girl, I watched Lady Diana walk down the aisle to marry Prince Charles and become our nation’s princess. It was a moment in history that I remember celebrating at my Aunt’s house in the south of England when her neighbors came together and the whole street threw a party. Many years have passed since then and I’ve moved to another country but there’s still something that stirs my British soul whenever I hear the national anthem or glimpse the Union Jack and there is no greater woman that I admire than her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
This summer it’s time for another celebration. Across the pond, England is preparing to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Having acceded to the throne at the death of her father on February 6, 1952 when she was just 25 years old, Queen Elizabeth II is now the world’s longest standing head of state.
Over the past 70 years the Queen has faced her own challenges, has counseled 14 different British Prime Ministers, starting with Sir Winston Churchill, and she has succeeded in transforming the Royal Establishment, making it relevant to today’s world. Throughout the turmoil of the past seven decades, the Queen has remained a figurehead of stability who has dedicated her life to serving the British people. It is her Christian faith and her relationship with Jesus Christ that has given the Queen the strength she has needed to fulfill her calling.
While this summer will afford us an opportunity to raise a glass or a cup of English tea to congratulate the Queen on her monumental achievement, we should also take a moment to consider the example she sets for us all.
1 Peter 2 v 9 says that “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation …”
This royal title is as much as a responsibility as it is a privilege. Just like Jesus, our ultimate servant leader, we are given this position in order to serve the community around us.
Job 8:7NIV – 7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.
