Praying for The King

 

It was a week ago this afternoon that the world heard the sad news of The Queen’s passing; and what a tumultuous time it has been since.  ‘Operation London Bridge’ has been very moving in so many ways and continues to be with the Laying in State currently in progress in the ancient Westminster Hall.

Along with the coins, banknotes and stamps, Service Books will eventually have to be updated with prayers for The King and his family.  Interceding for the monarch is a tradition we Christians share with our Jewish cousins, whose prayerbooks mention the sovereign or president of the particular country in which the congregation is based.

It's sometimes said The Queen never put a foot wrong, although I doubt if she herself would have agreed with such a blanket statement.  In reality, no monarch is ever infallible, and Elizabeth II never claimed to be, as ‘humility’ was a hallmark of her reign.

That’s the reason we pray for the King or Queen.  The national anthem is, in essence, a prayer. And it was good to hear the King make reference, on his visit to Northern Ireland, of the way his late mother prayed for that part of her kingdom.  It seems it was mutual; we prayed for her and she for us.

The British expression of monarchy is that of a Royal Family, and every family has its ups and downs.  None of us have every met a perfect family.  So, our prayers for the new King and his family surely need to be flavoured with kindness, compassion and understanding. 

The Media all too quickly, and gleefully, seem to rush to judgement when it comes to our leaders.  Yet the truth is that those in the public eye, from the Sovereign to local mayors, constantly try to do their best even in the goldfish bowl of intense scrutiny and knee jerk criticism. So, when they do make mistakes (as we all do from time to time) we need to hold them to account in a measured and just way.

Today the late Queen, so beloved by millions around the world, lays in state before her funeral on Monday in the Abbey Church where she was both married and crowned.  In watching the livestream from Westminster Hall, it has been touching to see folk pause by the catafalque to curtsey, bow, cross themselves or simply pray.  My hope is that as these sad days, naturally and rightly, fade and happier times come, that we will still pray for those who serve us in the public sphere; and what better prayer to utter for our new sovereign that that of God save the King.