The Vicar's Letter (this letter written by Reverend Stephen Burge) has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002
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Vicar's Letter

June 2022

Reverend Stephen Burge, Associate Priest of the Church of St Mary The Virgin, Eaton Bray with Edlesborough.

This month our nation will be coming together to recognise and celebrate the great service that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has given to this country. Despite the great changes that the United Kingdom and indeed the whole world have gone through since she became Queen in 1952, Her Majesty has inspired many with her constancy, her kind words and her loyalty to the country over which she reigns. Being Queen is obviously something that she inherited and was not a 'job' that she necessarily chose to do, but she responded to becoming Queen with dignity and humility.

One important difference between Presidents and monarchs is the fact that kings and queens are not sworn into the role in a government building but they are crowned in a cathedral, or in our case in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a service that is full of religious symbols and significance. The Queen had to swear a solemn oath to God that she would serve the country and uphold its laws, she was anointed with Holy Oil and the service concluded with the celebration of Holy Communion.

The oath that the Queen swore during her coronation is like many of the other kinds of oaths or promises that are made in churches - such as the promise to live a life lived in the love of God made by those about to be baptised (or by the parents and godparents of a child), or the promises that couples make during a marriage service to love another for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer and in sickness and in health.

When we make a promise to God we are promising that we will do the very best we can to keep that promise, although there will often be times when we may need God's help to keep them.

The anointing with oil is something that has played an important part in the history of the Church. Oil is used in baptisms and ordinations and it is often used during prayers with those who are very sick. Although we use oil often in our daily lives, in ancient times it was something that was highly prized and was often believed to have healing properties. In the Old Testament, oil was used to show that someone had been blessed and for many modern Christians the use of oil is a sign of God's presence with us, through the good times and the bad.

The celebration of Holy Communion at the end of the coronation service is an important reminder that we are all under the care and sovereignty of God - even the sovereign!

The most important king is the King of Heaven! Holy Communion is a reminder that we should all try to live our lives as Jesus did, helping the poor, the sick and the lonely, reaching out to those who have been excluded and oppressed. It reminds us that we are all equal in the eyes of God, regardless of how important we may think we are.

So, as we come to celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen, as we pray for her and give thanks for her life and her service, we can also be reminded of the promises that we have made ourselves to those around us, we can remember that God's presence is always with us and we can be insprired to live up to our calling to serve others and reach out to those who need help, support and care.

Rev'd Stephen Burge

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About the Vicar's Letter

The Vicar's Letter has been appearing in the villages Focus magazine since August 2002.

The Rev. Peter Graham also used to publish The Vicar's Letter in the parish magazine of 1964. Please see the area for these.