Anointed For Life-Long Service - What Does That Mean For Me As Well As For The Queen?

 Anointed To Serve – What’s That Mean?

These familiar words from the prophet Isaiah were part of the readings offered at the service of remembrance for Queen Elizabeth late last week.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, …

… to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair …

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 

Isaiah 61:1-3

British monarchs are not the only people who are anointed by God to serve others.  Each follower of Jesus Christ is commissioned to do particular things as expressions of the life of the God who has come to live in their hearts. 

We are called to:

·      bring good news to the poor

·     To comfort those who mourn and provide for those who grieve

·     To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair

Particularly in this period of mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth we have an important commission to carry out.  We are called to show by our lives, even by the way that we grieve, that Jesus Christ makes an amazing and positive difference.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-14

Loving God, we give thanks for the life of Queen Elizabeth and all those who have faithfully lived before You throughout their lives. 

As we mourn the passing of the Queen and the significant change that brings on so many levels of our lives, we pray that we will see all these events with Your kind of perspective.

We rejoice that the Queen celebrates You in Your presence today and knows the fulfillment of her deepest hopes and desires.

We pray that the events and services of these days will be a clear reminder to us that our time on this earth is short and that as we surrender our will and our lives into Your hands and follow You with all our hearts, we have the rock solid assurance that we will live with You forever in heaven.  Amen