On Tuesday 9 May 2023, Bishop Paul gave this sermon during a special Coronation Celebration Evensong Service at Durham Cathedral.
INTRODUCTION
Sam, the Chapel Royal Chorister, stood before the King and confidently said, ‘Your Majesty, as children of the Kingdom of God, we welcome you in the name of the King of Kings.’ King Charles replied, ‘In his name, and after his example I come not to be served but to serve.’
The King’s response recalls Jesus’ own words, ‘The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ The King of course could not repeat the second half of Jesus’ words because Jesus alone could give his life as the ransom for us all.
In our New Testament lesson we read Jesus’ words to his disciples as he faces the Cross; ‘I am among you as one who serves.’
Amidst all the ceremonial pomp of the Coronation service, the King wanted his conviction that the calling of the monarch is to serve the nation, and Commonwealth, and his commitment to so serve, to come across. Hence why he called for both the Big Lunch and the Big Help Out to be part of the way that the nation celebrated over this past weekend. He wants us to grow in our commitment to community, and to be a people who serve one another, and creation.
SERVICE FOR WHAT?
It was an enormous honour to be asked by the King to offer him service by being one of the two Bishops Assistant. Whilst there is long historic precedent for the Bishops of Durham and Bath and Wells to undertake these roles, I had made no assumption that it would continue until I heard from the Archbishop of Canterbury last November that this was the King’s desire.
If I may I take the role as an example to answer the question ‘Service for what?’ Bishop Michael’s and my sole purpose was to enable the King to fulfil all that was required of him. It was intensely practical involving words being available, clothing being removed and put on, guiding to the right places, and, yes, there was whispering to guide and encourage the whole way through. Through rehearsals we had developed a rapport so that we knew what help the King himself expected to need, and when. Our service was all about meeting his need.
I understand that the symbolism of spurs, swords, robes, armills (armbands), ring, orb, sceptre and rod can be mystifying, confusing and open to a range of interpretation; not made easier by some of the unusual names given to the different pieces. However, they do have meaning. Take the sword for example. The Archbishop’s words around the giving of the sword include, ‘may use it as the minister of God to resist evil and defend the good’. There is a reminder of ‘the word of God being the sword of the Spirit’ and a call to ‘do justice, stop the growth of iniquity’. When the rod is placed in the King’s hand, it is ‘the rod of equity and mercy, a symbol of covenant and peace.’ The King is expected to exercise his role ‘that by your service and ministry to all your people, justice and mercy may be seen in all the earth’.
The King’s service is to be for the good of the people, in justice and mercy.
SERVICE FOR WHOM?
This leads swiftly on to the question of ‘service for whom?’ It is for the good of all people. There is a specific calling to ‘protect the holy church of God’. But not simply the church, for this continues, ‘and all people of goodwill’. There is also, a particular reminder of the more vulnerable, ‘help and defend widows and orphans’. This is entirely rooted in the vision for God’s people through the ages. We are all to care for the most vulnerable.
SERVICE- HOW?
So it is a calling to serve so that the ways of God’s Kingdom are lived for all people, and particularly for the most vulnerable. Yet the whole service was also a strong reminder that actually the King cannot serve in his own strength. He is reliant on following the example of his own Saviour, Jesus Christ, and on the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence the most sacred point of the service when, in private, he was anointed with oil. Anointing happens at baptisms, confirmations, ordinations and consecrations. People are anointed for healing, and for death. Anointing symbolises God’s setting us apart for our calling as God’s children, and to specific purposes. The King’s anointing symbolised his calling and being set apart to serve as King; the Queen likewise. They cannot fulfil their God given calling without the power of the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
So what does all of this say to us, and our lives? We too are called to serve. Jesus Christ laid down his life on the cross for us. In him we discover God’s love and forgiveness. We find ourselves adopted as God’s children. He is our King of Kings. But King Charles and Queen Camilla set us an example of calling and service for how we live as citizens of this nation, or of elsewhere in the world. In following Jesus Christ we are to serve for the good of others, including all of creation. We are to have a particular care for the most vulnerable. We too need the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to be able to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and fulfil our God given calling. Just as no one else currently has the calling to be King and Queen no one else has the calling to be the parent, or grandparent that you are. No one else has the calling to be the street cleaner, professor, nurse, police officer, care-worker, administrator, volunteer or manager that you are. Like the King and Queen, we are called to serve. We need God’s help to fulfil our calling and serve others for the common good. As we thank God and pray for the King and Queen, we also pray that we might be a people who serve one another in the name of Jesus Christ, the Servant, and Saviour, of all.