As a Royal Foundation, it was wonderful to gather in St Mary’s Church for a special Platinum Jubilee Service for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Union Flag was draped over the lectern, the bunting was up, a photo of The Queen’s visit to King’s Bruton in 2019 was proudly on display, the Chapel Choir sang the official Platinum Jubilee Anthem, and we sang the National Anthem alongside some glorious hymns.

But more important than all the décor, patriotism and jingoism, is the message we considered at the heart of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: When we consider The Queen, she really is incredible - we have much to learn from her example of faithful service. It’s no easy job being The Queen. Endless commitments and responsibilities, a never ending diary of meetings, huge duties to carry out within the workings of government. The list goes on and on. Being The Queen is hard. So why does she do it all? That was the question we considered in Chapel. To answer it, the Head Girl recited part of a speech The Queen delivered in 1947 aged 21:

“I declare, before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But, I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”

This shows us that at the heart of The Queen’s identity sits service. The Queen has faithfully been our Queen for 70 years because she is a person who truly believes in being a servant of our nation and the Commonwealth. But where does this belief in service come from? It’s no secret that The Queen’s faith is integral to her life. Numerous Christmas speeches attest to that. ‘The Servant Queen and the King She Serves’ is a book written to mark The Queen’s 90^th birthday. In it, The Queen, and various contributors, recount how it is the person of Jesus Christ that inspires her lifelong service. The Queen says, “I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life. He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than being served.” And how true this is. It was great to hear Jesus share such a message in Luke chapter 22, which the Head Boy, Kit, read to us: “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves….I am among you as one who serves.” How glorious! Fundamentally, The Queen serves because she follows Jesus Christ - the servant King who serves us ultimately at the cross. What a fantastic truth for us a school community to gather to reflect upon - to give thanks for The Queen’s service, and to commend ourselves to a similar path of servant-heartedness by following Jesus Christ the Servant King!

Long may she reign over us!

Rev’d George Beverly - Chaplain

Flickr album: Platinum Jubilee Service for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - 23rd May 2022 | Height: auto | Theme: Default | Skin: Default Skin