An American’s Tribute to the Queen

Many of the earliest British and European settlers came to America so they could practice the Christian faith their own way. It was very important to Puritans, Baptists, Catholics, Quakers, and others that no state or national church would dictate how they worshipped God, leading to the opening line of the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.…’ It’s easy for American Christians to flinch when they hear that one of the many official titles of the British monarch is ‘Supreme Governor of the Church of England’ not only because so many monarchs have had such terrible personal lives, but also because there’s no official separation of church and state. Even though this title is mostly ceremonial and symbolic (in the image above she holds the scepter representing political power and the orb representing religious power) we know how much damage can be caused by anyone who uses both political and religious power for their own advantage.

But then there was the Queen herself. As movies and TV programs like The Crown repeatedly remind us, the Queen had considerable power and she used it. But she didn’t use the power of her titles Queen and Supreme Governor to tell people what to do - instead, she used the power of her life. At her coronation, she asked for people to pray that God give her wisdom and strength, and she often talked publicly about what faith in God meant to her. And how faithfully she served her people, formally appointing a new Prime Minister just two days before her death at age 96. We can easily sniff out politicians who use religious language to gain power, but only the hardened cynic would believe that her faith and service were anything but genuine.

The Queen modeled to us that we were never meant to ‘separate church and state’ in our own lives. Our commitment to God cannot be relegated to private religious devotion and must affect our public lives, including the influence we’ve been given and the people God has called us to love and serve. We’re also reminded that we follow Jesus who used his power as both priest and king, not 'to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' (Matthew 20:28). His kingdom doesn’t just impact individual religious observance, but continues to transform families, communities, organizations, cities, and nations.

As we mourn the loss of the Queen this week, let's also pray for King Charles as he begins his reign. Long live the King!