Here, then, we see that the servant life is not something Elizabeth can live in her own strength. For her, Christ is more than an example to follow, or a teacher who points the way, he is the source of power to live out what he calls his people to do. Indeed, the word ‘readily’ reveals a picture of a God who is eager to bless, who wants to help, a reality so often revealed in the Bible: Not surprisingly, such a vision leads inevitably to a particular understanding of the qualities that go into being a good citizen. To the extent that Elizabeth was kind, servant-hearted, and consistent, she showed us the blessing it is to live under a good ruler. Yn 2010 wrth iddi siarad yn agoriad Synod Cyffredinol Eglwys Loegr, dywedodd: 'Nid pryder am ein lles a’n cysur ein hunain sydd wrth wraidd ein ffydd, ond yn hytrach y syniad o wasanaeth ac aberth a welir ym mywyd a dysgeidiaeth yr un a ddarostyngodd ei hun gan gymryd arno agwedd gwas.'

Published by Bible Society UK (for whom the Queen is Patron), HOPE and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, the Queen has personally written the foreword. In it she says, “I am touched that Bible Society, HOPE and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity have published this book to celebrate my 90th birthday. In my first Christmas broadcast in 1952, I asked the people of the Commonwealth and Empire to pray for me as I prepared to dedicate myself to their service at my Coronation. I have been – and remain – very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for his steadfast love. I have indeed seen his faithfulness.” The Servant Queen and the King She Serves' was published by the Bible Society, HOPE and LICC this year, to mark her 90 th birthday. In the foreword the Queen wrote:"I have been – and remain – very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for his steadfast love. I have indeed seen his faithfulness." I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else. I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the people of our brotherhood of nations. I believe in our qualities and in our strength. I believe that together we can set an example to the world which will encourage upright people everywhere…’

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Furthermore, it is not only that anyone can contribute and anything can be done for God, but that anything can be done with love: In the year that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called the Church to the “ duty, privilege and joy” of a great work of evangelism, thousands of churches across the country will be giving away copies of The Servant Queen, and we owe HOPE, Bible Society and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity a great debt of gratitude for the evangelistic vision.

I am touched that Bible Society, HOPE and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity have published this book to celebrate my 90th birthday. In my first Christmas Broadcast in 1952, I asked the people of the Commonwealth and Empire to pray for me as I prepared to dedicate myself to their service at my Coronation. I have been — and remain — very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for His steadfast love. I have indeed seen His faithfulness.It is as if the Queen had internalised the truth of Colossians 3:17 and 3:23-24. Yes, we can ‘do whatever we do for God’ whoever we are: slave or free, rich or poor, British-born or new immigrant.

Again, we see a focus on actions, on the quality of community life, on the quality of the lived experience of every individual. Still, her vision for neighbour-love goes beyond taking the initiative to meet immediate needs. Indeed, in her 1980 Christmas message she set out a comprehensive vision for neighbour-love that embraced every sphere of society from business to education, from the armed forces to health services, from politics to the arts. We love our neighbour by offering our gifts and talents to them in selfless service. Importantly, she closed that section of the message with these words:

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The book was designed to be a conversation-starter and a gift from churches to their local communities. It proved so popular in Britain that the Bible Society reprinted a further 150,000 copies on top of the original 100,000.

To all of you on this Christmas Day, whatever your conditions of work and life, easy or difficult; whether you feel that you are achieving something or whether you feel frustrated; I want to say a word of thanks. And I include all those who don’t realise that they deserve thanks and are content that what they do is unseen and unrewarded. The very act of living a decent and upright life is in itself a positive factor in maintaining civilised standards.’ It is a direct affirmation of Christians – for those with ears to hear – delivered in a way that avoids the label and minimises the barriers to exploration and belief for those who aren’t Christians. At the same time, in her commendation of Songs of Praise on its 60th anniversary in 2021, we can see that she appreciates the difference between church attendance and discipleship: In Cape Town all those years ago she prayed: ‘God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.’ The concept of servant leadership has been much explored in management and leadership circles since 1970, when Robert Greenleaf began to popularise it. But it is rare indeed to see anyone who has lived it out as richly and consistently as the Queen, for so long. And rare, too, to find a public figure who so consciously models her leadership on Christ’s pattern (Philippians 2:6-8). Her Majesty The Queen has rightly been globally praised for doing an outstanding job since she came to the throne at the age of 25. And for 70 years she’s done her work as Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England with amazing diligence, great grace, astute intelligence, deep humility, and tremendous effectiveness.But however smooth or eloquent, it’s unlikely any eulogy will sum her up better than the title of that book. Though she was herself a queen, Her Majesty always knew she had a sovereign and that he loved her, died for her, had forgiven her, and now called her to live a life of loving service in response. She may have been a queen, but she saw herself first and foremost as the subject of the King. “Billions of people follow Christ’s teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives,” she once said. “I am one of them.” Maybe those years inspired the Queen to say: "To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example." (Christmas message, 2000) In a strong statement of faith, the Queen has said that she is ‘very grateful’ to the nation for its prayers for her and that she has felt God’s ‘faithfulness’ during 64 years on the throne. I am always moved by those words in St John’s Gospel which we hear on Christmas Day – “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not…” We have only to listen to the news to know the truth of that. But the Gospel goes on – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God”. It is a remarkable achievement. Reconciliation in action. Where might the Queen have got such a vision?