Queen Elizabeth II

When I heard the news that our Queen had died, I was deeply moved, and shed a tear of sadness. I thank the Lord for her life, for her service to the nation and for her commitment to Jesus. And I pray for the Peace of Christ to be with her family in their grief, and with the nation in our mourning.

Each year, I’ve always looked forward to hearing the Queen speak on Christmas Day, and have been encouraged by the way she openly shared her faith in Jesus. We’ll be hearing some of these words during our time together on Sunday morning, as an example of one who walked in the way of Jesus, seeking to “do whatever we do in the Name of Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Mark Greene, from The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, also reflects on her life as an example of whole life discipleship through Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II, Beacon of Grace and The Queen’s Way, a book written for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and available free online. With our conversations and TV screens being dominated by the death of our Queen during this national time of mourning, I encourage you to read these and reflect on how you could share the love of Jesus with those in your frontlines communities and neighbourhoods.

On Sunday morning, we will also be praying over our children and school staff at the start of the new school year, sharing communion together as a church family and listening to Paul’s Letter to the Colossians.

Grief works in strange ways, and if you would like to talk or pray with someone, then please contact us.

May the Peace of Christ be with you

Pete