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Good morning.  A month ago I stood in front of the golden burial mask of the boy king, Tutankhamun, in the Egyptian Museum and marvelled at its gleaming radiance – all the more so for it being over three thousand years old. Tutankhamun came to the throne at the age of about nine and after a period of turmoil in Egypt restored the traditional religion, hoping that the gods would once again look favourably on his country.  But his reign was cut short; he died unexpectedly after less than a decade on the throne.

In contrast, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will set a milestone in British history, when later today she becomes our longest-reigning monarch, breaking Queen Victoria’s record of 63 years and seven months.  For many, the Queen is a symbol of stability and security in a changing world, admired for her lifetime of public service.   At her coronation, Elizabeth promised to maintain the laws of God and received a Bible, identified as ‘the most valuable thing that this world affords’, because, the words of the service continued, ‘Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law’.  After she was anointed with oil, Handel’s stirring anthem, Zadok The Priest, recounted the anointing of Solomon, who called himself ‘the servant king’ and asked God not for riches or longevity, but for ‘an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil’. 

Almighty God, who hast set our gracious sovereign Queen Elizabeth upon the throne of this realm, and given her to surpass all others in the years of her reign: Receive our heartfelt thanks for her service to her people, confirm and encourage her in the continuance of the same, and keep her in thy heavenly wisdom.  Amen.