Meekness and majesty

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5.5

I was just sitting down to write this blog earlier in the day, when I was offered the chance to pay my respects to our late sovereign lady, lying in state in St Giles Cathedral. As the opportunity will never come again, I took it. The atmosphere was hushed and respectful - and there was an air of disbelief: was this really happening?

Stories about Queen Elizabeth are abounding, some may be apocryphal. Perhaps they are our way of expressing our feelings about her and exploring our reactions to her absence? Apparently she left her crown at Buckingham Palace when she embarked on her annual migration to Balmoral, aware that it would be her last. Her dying wish was to depart simply as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Queen Elizabeth won our affection because she understood that leadership is service. That realisation did not come out of nowhere. It derives from the teaching and example of Jesus. And this is the more important side of Her late Majesty's life of service: it was indeed devoted to us, her subjects, but, first and foremost, she devoted herself to God, making her service to Him the secret of her reign over us.