OVER the next four days our TV screens, newspapers and social media posts will be focussed on the celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It is a remarkable achievement, not only because of the length of her reign, but also because of the way she has fulfilled that role. For seventy years, the Queen has conducted her duties with integrity, sincerity and faithfulness: qualities that flow from her deep and personal faith in God, of which she has frequently spoken.

At the heart of her Coronation on 2 June 1953 there was a hidden ceremony, screened from the view of the TV cameras. The Queen’s regal robes were removed, leaving her wearing a simple white dress. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury anointed her with oil, symbolic of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit who strengthens for service all who follow Jesus Christ. These two virtues – service of God and people, and reliance upon God’s strength for her duties – are the foundation on which the Queen’s public and private life has been built. And in living this way, she has sought to follow the example of Jesus, the Son of God, who was uniquely anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism and who laid down his life in the service of others, all the way to his sacrificial death on the cross.

No doubt our lives seem very mundane in comparison to those of the Royal Family. Yet, we are also called to follow the example of Jesus. During his days on earth, he wore no royal robes and enjoyed not the riches or privileges of royal office. So, whatever our status may be in life – high or low, honoured or overlooked – we too may choose to live in the service of others, reliant upon the spiritual resources that God alone provides. May these Jubilee celebrations give us the opportunity to consider our own role in life and what God’s call on us may be.