God Save the Queen!

Peter Baker | 11:36, Friday 1st June

There seems to be a basic biblical injunction to pray for all those in authority, recognising that God has given these structures for society's good and for the sake of the Gospel. That's how Paul grounds his advice to Timothy (1 Timothy 2: 1- 3).

This does not mean a slavish obedience. There will be times when a conscience captive to God and his Word means that I may need to obey God rather than man. How such disobedience, personal or civil, might be expressed, has been one of the great challenges for Christians down through the ages. 

But only the most mean-spirited republicans and nationalists would deny Queen Elizabeth her commemorative celebrations. For one thing, many of us will enjoy not one but two bank holidays out of it!

Some might raise an eyebrow at the scale of the royal perks, but these are matched by the magnitude of the royal duties - responsibilities which her majesty has carried with remarkable diligence and dignity for longer than I've been alive!

The hereditary nature of her office may feel a rather quaint relic in these modern democratic times. But during her sixty years, the House of Windsor has shown itself to be perhaps more sensitive and adaptable to cultural changes than many of our national institutions, including the Church!  Such longevity has not only created one of the major anchor points of social stability and political cohesion, it's also provided a key element in our evolving national identities. 

Although this is more by way of symbol than substance, the Monarch, as Head of the Commonwealth and the Armed Forces, Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith, gives meaning to many of our inherited traditions.

But it's Queen Elizabeth's humanity as wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother that speaks most powerfully to us. For many, the positive turning point was in her eventual public response to the death of Princess Diana. That was when Her Majesty came closest to revealing the real person beneath the crown.

And of course we have the Queen's Christmas Speech, which last year included these remarkable heart-felt words: "God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love."

So put out the bunting, raise a glass and break into song. For, although not the Welsh National Anthem, there’s no reason why we can't also sing "God Save the Queen."  For like us all, Her Majesty needs to be rescued by the power of God's love.