Queen Elizabeth II has given our nation a wonderful sense of continuity through a period of enormous, and at times, accelerated change.

We are very thankful to her for her dedication and life-long commitment to her vocation as our sovereign in matters temporal.

I think we are all aware of the self-sacrifice and selflessness that is involved in the role of the constitutional monarch and we continue to pray for Queen Elizabeth as she fulfils this weighty ministry on our behalf.

Of course, this continuity will be broken and change will come. Over many decades the Church has prayed faithfully for the Queen and we need to pray that her successors will be prepared and enabled by God to fulfil this weighty calling.

As we celebrate we are all more conscious than ever, that in many different ways this is a fragile world, and it continues to need both our prayers and our work under the direction and care of the mighty hand of God.

As we come together for this time of celebration let us remember what it says in the old book:

‘Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’

May the Lord be with you.

Rev. Dr Christopher Noble – Rector
St Mary’s Stansted with Fairseat and Vigo