Mark Greene is co-author of The Servant Queen, and author of The Queen’s Way and new release A Life of Grace, a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. He is Mission Champion at LICC.
The first time I ever thought seriously about the Queen was when God told me to.
It was 2015. And Elizabeth was 89. I had asked God a specific question: please show me someone in the public eye who is an outstanding whole-life disciple of Jesus, someone whose faith shapes all they do and say. ‘Elizabeth’ was God’s answer. Swift, clear, weighty. And to be shared.
Since that day it’s become ever clearer to me that Elizabeth was a gift from God to nation, Commonwealth, and indeed the global community, a beacon of humility, grace, astuteness, good humour, generosity, and deep faith – God’s woman, God’s follower, God’s Queen.
Like many I suppose, I’d never been a ‘royal-watcher’. I admired the Queen, appreciated the clarity and warmth with which she spoke, almost every Christmas, of her trust in Christ and the difference he made to her life, but I hadn’t thought deeply about her particular vision or how God might be working in and through her. Yes, she was a remarkable woman, and a remarkable monarch, but what I came to see, and had confirmed by others who knew her better, was that she was first and foremost a remarkable disciple of Christ. As such, she offered us an extraordinary example of consistent godliness in one of the longest and most public global ministries in the history of the world.
Since her death, our screens and papers have been filled with eulogies from family and friends, from former Prime Ministers, commonwealth leaders, world leaders, religious leaders from every major faith, royal correspondents, celebrities, honorees, former staff…
We have heard of her extraordinary dedication to duty, of her dignity, of her diligence, of her capacity to change with the times, of her astute leadership of the Royal Family, of her curiosity and intelligence and her ability to make almost anyone feel comfortable and, more importantly, valued…
We have heard of her contribution to international relations, to trade deals, to tourism, to the Commonwealth, to public morale.
We have heard of her emotional resilience as she dealt with bereavement, and fires, and the divorces of three of her children, and many a scandal along the way, not least around Prince Andrew.
We have heard of her capacity to forgive, not just to shake the hands of people responsible for killing her soldiers and her husband’s mentor Lord Mountbatten, but do so with great grace and a warm smile, like someone who rejoices in peace and reconciliation. But there hasn’t been much about what made her the woman she was. There’s been little attempt in the mainstream media to look at her and her life through the lens of what she said made the difference to her – her faith in Christ.
Indeed, about that, she was crystal clear, and repeatedly so. In her 2014 Christmas broadcast she put it this way:
‘For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.’
Brilliantly, in an age that is on the one hand increasingly secular, and on the other, fraught by religious conflicts, her approach was winsomely inclusive. She pointed to Jesus and how he expanded her capacity to love people with different beliefs. Her approach was testimonial, not argumentative. She told the world the inspiration that Jesus had been in her own life and left the world to decide if they were interested in being inspired themselves:
‘I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life. Countless millions of people around the world continue to celebrate his birthday at Christmas, inspired by his teaching. He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served. We can surely be grateful that, two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, so many of us are able to draw inspiration from his life and message, and to find in him a source of strength and courage.’
More broadly, we can see the influence of Christ on her understanding of her job and how she did it. At the heart of this is the extraordinary impact of one particular moment in the Coronation. It was not when the solid gold St Edward’s Crown was laid on her head and she officially became Queen, but the moment that was not televised because it was deemed to be too holy for mass broadcast. It was the moment when, stripped of all her flowing robes, she knelt in a simple white dress and was anointed with holy oil. It was the moment when she dedicated herself to God to serve him by serving her people.
At one level, her Queenship was an accident of birth, an inevitable consequence of her uncle’s abdication, but she saw it as God’s will, as God’s calling, and therefore as something that she would need his help to do. And it was a calling she embraced. Wholly. Royal biographer, William Shawcross, wrote, ‘She found, like her mother before her… an almost sacrificial quality at the heart of the service.’
Of course, sacrifice is at the heart of the gospel – Jesus giving his life for ours. And it is at the heart of our own discipleship – taking up our cross daily to follow him. But sacrifice is intertwined with service. We no longer live for ourselves but for God and others. And that is what characterized Elizabeth’s approach not only to her own work, but to her understanding of citizenship. So, for example, at Christmas 2012 she said:
‘This is the time of the year when we remember that God sent his only Son “to serve, not to be served.” He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ.’
We are meant to be there for one another. Indeed, her broadcasts – Christmas and occasional – tended to highlight the particular qualities she valued – resilience, kindness, neighbourliness – qualities she’d seen in the wartime generation. When she spoke to the nation during the COVID pandemic she focused on those qualities, summoning us to live up to our heritage:
‘I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge, and those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any, that the attributes of self-discipline, quiet, good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past. It defines our present and our future.’
Intrinsic to that understanding of ‘fellow-feeling’ was her understanding of what it meant to be a good neighbour. Indeed, time and again, in her Christmas addresses, she referred to the parable of the Good Samaritan, summoning us to serve our neighbours and our countries in whatever role we found ourselves. Indeed, in 1980 she offered a comprehensive picture of neighbourly citizenship that is unmatched in contemporary public rhetoric. Even Barack Obama was never so far-reaching in his communication of good citizenship. That address highlighted unselfish service as the key to citizenship… and she cited examples from every sphere. From health care to the armed forces, from central government to voluntary organisations, from hospital staff to neighbours caring for neighbours in need. And then she closed that section of her address with these words:
‘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 as if the Queen had internalised the truth of Colossians 3:17. Yes, we can… ‘do whatever we do for God.’
How refreshing to find a global leader who recognised so clearly the value and beauty of a life lived kindly.
Indeed, Elizabeth’s understanding of her role and our nation’s role in the world were, it seems, similarly shaped by a robust biblical framework. So back in 1957 she said:
‘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…’
In the context of Britain’s imperial past this is a remarkable vision. It is not a vision of military superiority, economic dominance, ideological hegemony, creative brilliance, or sporting excellence but of moral example, a vision that would not inspire envy or fear but encourage generosity, justice, kindness, ‘uprightness’. It is similar to God’s original hope for the people of Israel in the Bible, that they would be ‘a light to the nations’. Britain’s military power had diminished but for her size really didn’t matter – even as the granddaughter of a king who had ruled over a quarter of the planet. What mattered was the quality of our example.
We see a similarly robust vision in her commitment to the development of the Commonwealth, arguably one of her greatest achievements. When she became Queen, it consisted of eight nations, primarily ruled by white men. Today, it consists of 54 nations and territories.
How do you turn nations you have conquered, ruled and exploited for decades into friends?
How has it happened that, in our deeply fractured world, 54 nations should choose to meet regularly, not out of military expediency or vital economic self-interest but out of a commitment to a common vision for a different kind of world?
The short answer is through the determination, the warmth, and relational skills of the Queen. When she took the throne she said:
‘The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace. To that new conception of an equal partnership of nations and races I shall give myself heart and soul every day of my life.’
It was another promise she would keep. At the Silver Jubilee, she said that she had witnessed:
‘From a unique position … the last great phase of the Empire into Commonwealth and the transformation of the Crown from an emblem of dominion into a symbol of free and voluntary association. In all history, this has no precedent.’
Where did the Queen get such a vision?
It was an idea that belonged to neither the left nor the right. In reality, it comes straight out of the biblical promise of a day when the tanks will be turned into tractors, or as Isaiah 2:4 puts it, ‘swords into ploughshares’. A day when nation will not fight against nation, when peace will reign across the globe. Elizabeth knew that it would only be fully realised when Christ returned and creation is renewed but that did not stop her working to create a context in which understanding could grow, cooperation flourish, and inequalities be addressed.
And if all that were not enough, she seemed to enjoy life – riding and horses and dogs and family and nice clothes and mimicking people and the occasional gin before lunch. But even here in the way she chose to spend her leisure time we saw her Christian devotion expressing itself. She didn’t have to invite a different pastor every weekend of her six-week Balmoral holiday to spend time with her family but she did. She didn’t have to drive herself to the Sunday service in the church on the Sandringham estate when she was there but she often did. She didn’t have to find out the names of the Sunday School prize winners and choose and present their prizes but she did.
There’s certainly no doubt about the identity of the King our Queen served. Nor is there any doubt that the prayer that her people have so often prayed (perhaps without realising that it was a prayer) was answered. God saved our Queen. Our Queen was ‘gracious’ and ‘noble’ and ‘victorious’ in the things that really matter – hope and faith in Christ, love of God and of the people she’s been empowered to serve.
Indeed, there can be few greater indications of God’s mercy and grace to our nation, despite our idolatrous turning away from him, than to have given us a Queen who loved us so faithfully and pointed us to him so clearly.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of his servant Elizabeth.
And may God grace our King in his reign as he graced his mother’s in hers.
Mark Greene
Mission Champion, LICC
Thanks Mark, a gracious Queen she was by the Grace of her King.
Well done faithful servant of the most high God.
Very well put.
What an amazing queen, she is much loved. So gracious in death as in life. An example to all.
Well done good and faithful servant.
A remarkable tribute indeed. May she rest in our Lord for ever, Amen.
What an excellent summary and review if our Queen. I hope that it is widely read.
What a wonderful tribute to the Queen! Thank you for helping to crystalise and focus our thinking about how remarkable she was, and what a significant influence in all of our lives.
This is an outstandingly comprehensive address and all so true. As I read it, and as I think about the Queen, I know she had the personal faith Mark speaks of here. I’m always perplexed that so Godly a person had so much trouble with her family: trouble that is ongoing. Many people wish that the crown could have skipped a generation and that there are better qualities in William. My prayer is that, as King Charles begins his reign, he, even st this mature age in his life, would experience the soul-converting power of the Holy Spirit, and that he would articulate that experience in the same way as Queen Elizabeth has done. That could, by God’s Grace be a very powerful testimony.
Amen
Amen.
We are not immune from the troubles of this world as Christians. That includes troubles with our families who indeed have free will to make their own decisions and many choose to walk away from the faith they were raised in. I know this first hand in my own family. It should be of no surprise to believers, Jesus told us as much- John 16:3.
Oops : John 16:33
Amen
Brilliantly put. God did save our queen and I pray that He also saves our king and this nation.
What a fitting tribute- so well written and God breathed. Thank you so much.
THANK YOU, Mark and LICC, for such a speedy provision. I will read it to our MHA residents in Swindon today at several short services and pass it on to colleagues (with appropriate attribution). It was good to meet you at the Bible Society event in Swindon back in May, and followed with added perspective your interviews on TV. The new book is great, and so glad it is also on the LICC web site.
Blessings for the upcoming days as I expect you will be really busy.
Mike
Rev Mike Dilly : Chaplain MHA Fitzwarren Court, Fitzwarren House & Stanton Lodge, Swindon.
Methodist Homes (MHA) is the largest charity care provider in the UK. The charity’s missions is to inspire the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life. Through 88 specialist care homes, 69 thriving retirement living and 45 vibrant community groups and befriending, MHA aim to enable older people to live later life well.
Thank you for shining a beacon on our Queens faith and commitment to Jesus which the media has so ominously omitted.
neat, appropriate.
Thank you Mark for your words. I found great comfort in them. They absolutely reflect our Queens greatest qualities. I feel we have lost the most wonderful and beautiful mother and grandmother of us all. I pray her legacy will overflow into many lives now.
Wonderfully eloquent , you say all the things that I feel in my heart for our beautiful Queen Elizabeth Thank you and may you be blessed today
Thank you for such and elaborate and insightful revelation of the Queen’s person and personality. I will please read this to the congee I serve thank you Mike.
Shalom
Well done Mark – a wise and powerful tribute. The qualities you write of shone forth in her visit to Ireland in 2011 especially when she began her keynote speech in Dublin Castle by speaking a few words in Irish/Gaelic. It was an extraordinary moment – the talk of the city the following day – and a great example of her willingness to become all things to all people. A true servant. Condolences on a great loss.
Dear Mark
Very touching and apposite. I was on a long drive yesterday and listened to ALL of the BBC News special all evening from 6:30. I was very struck not only by the amount of discussion of her faith but also how the producers and presenters deliberately produced sections to highlight and appreciate it. Credit where credit is due….
Well done Mark. A magnificent and moving tribute.
She shone Jesus’s light. We will miss her smile.
Thank you. As commentators flounder in their search to find the missing word, the one word that is the foundation for all those they use to describe her life… you have named her Cornerstone, her faith in Jesus Christ, the essence from whom these other qualities flowed. Thank you Mark, for this profound, beautiful piece.
Oh thank you for putting into words this tribute and highlighting the King our Queen served, at the heart of who she was and whom she now bows before.
Yes, thanks, Mark. A fitting tribute to a truly great Christian. Now we pray for King Charles, that such wisdom and grace may mark his reign also.
Amen Brother. She will be missed.
Thank you so much, Mark. Very well put, as ever.
So thoughtful in every way. Your words have made me think about the queen in ways that I have not considered her.
Thank you Mark for highlighting the Queen’s strong faith and how it impacted her reign. She truly was an outstanding disciple of Jesus. She will be missed by so many people, and not just by her family and friends. I shall use this as a basis for a devotional I’ll be leading next Tuesday, giving you the credit of course.
Brilliant Mark. Thank you for such meaningful reflections and helping us to mourn and give thanks for a life extraordinarily-well lived.
The best tribute I have seen. She was indeed a true example of a godly woman.
You have wonderfully captured the heart of who our Queen was as a whole life disciple. A powerful tribute
GOD SAVE THE KING.
We found this the most poignant comment as we watched PM Liz Truss’ address to the nation last night on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
May this be every believer’s heartfelt prayer for King Charles III (daily & as often as we join in singing the National Anthem), that he too may know and serve the KING of Kings, as his mother did.
Thank you for taking time to remind of us our lovely Elizabeth’s great faith . What an example ! And so appropriate that heaven arranged a rainbow at just the right time .! We will not forget
Great tribute – thanks Mark
So grateful for this. I’m preaching on Sunday … I will be able to share words from your beautifully expressed appreciation of the Queen and her faith (and give credit to you Mark and LICC)
Thank you. I have shared this to Facebook where I rarely express my own faith, I’m ashamed to say.
Brilliantly written
An admirable account and accolade, giving another perspective to the Queen’s diligence and sense
of purpose that the secular writers don’t dig deep enough to find. Thank you very much, Mark Greene. May the memories she leaves behind and the examples she showed the nation of dignity, decorum and dedication be preserved and increased in our increasingly godless culture. As a nation we need a huge effort at soul-searching: what made the Queen unique? May the Holy Spirit work in our nation at every level of society to open eyes and ears and to search hearts.
Thanks Mark for such a swift, comprehensive, touching, and inspired tribute to our Queen. May she rest in peace and rise in Glory.
God save the King
Thank you Mark for these encouraging expressions of gratitude and love both to our King and His servant our late Sovereign Queen. Her devotion to and her love of those she served was totally selfless – we thank God for the strength and wisdom and all the love she shared with her subjects and all people. May she rest in Peace and Rise in Glory.
Thank you Mark and the LICC team. A fitting and uplifting tribute. I have shared this with Romsey Mill’s team this morning. We pray for King Charles, that such faith, wisdom, and grace will be the marks of his service.
Thanks Mark, So well expressed for all of us. My impression has been that in later years her expressions of faith, in Christmas broadcasts, became stronger and firmer rather than levelling off. But that might just mean I wasn’t listening so well over 30 years ago!!
Mark, as always you have summed up her life succinctly and with insightfulness. There will be much sentimental bluff and bluster written in these days, but you take us back to the root of her life and faith. She has now died, but as Jesus once reminded the mourners “She has not died, she is asleep”. She rests in peace but will rise in glory.
Thanks, Mike, for a wonderful tribute. Her reign was blessed. We will all miss her Majesty as a nation and a people. Our prayers go to the royal family and the nation at this time. God will uphold King Charles III. May we as Christians live a life worthy of emulation.
How wonderfully you have expressed what so many of us feel. I’m in tears again. Thank you. Did you hear that there was a rainbow in the sky above Windsor when they lowered the castle flag to half-mast? God was telling us that our gracious and noble queen, duty done, was safe with Him. God bless and keep you in His care.
Your commentary, your summary, of the Queen’s life-well-lived is a tonic and indeed a beacon amidst dark times. Thank you, Mark, for these life-giving words.
Thank you Mark. Really well expressed
Mark
That is a beautiful tribute. She will be long remembered as a godly woman who left us a great example staying faithful to the end
I thank God for her life
Beautifully put. The world seems a darker place without our Queen.
Thanks be to God for two wonderful gifts – our late Queen Elizabeth II’s wonderful faith, life and ministry, and Mark’s eye of faith to perceive and record it for us.
As an American I am not really a fan of any monarchy. The British monarchy has provided way too much entertainment for too many Americans. But never Elizabeth. There, at the soul and heart and head of things has been this amazing and wonderful woman who has consistently shown the world an almost storybook model of what we imagine a Queen to be. When I learned a few years ago, through your writings, of her unshakeable faith in Christ, I prayed a short prayer of thanks. As you mention, God saved your Queen as she served your nation and the world. I also pray for Princes Charles and William that they will carry her mantle with the same faithfulness and grace. I have to stop now. Something has caused my eyes to water up to the point I can hardly see. Thank you.
An excellent and thoughtful piece that deserves wide readership. You have brought out all the best qualities of a life well lived in service and in devotion and duty inspired by the Servant King.
An immensely thought-provoking and emotional tribute. The late Queen was a great inspiration and her faith and devotion to Jesus is such an example to all of us who profess to be followers of Christ, indeed to every human being. Humility, service, love of humanity, whoever they are, she was blessed by God with these godly qualities. Thank you Mark, for such a wonderful tribute.
Thank you Mr Greene for asking God for a present day disciple of Christ. What a wealth of life and example was before us, and thank you for writing up your findings. Queen Elizabeth 11 was hidden in Christ, and one could not help but be intrigued by how she a Sovereign could adapt to all levels and kinds of people with respect and dignity. She was so selfless at all times, the way she looked at things, and responded to different circumstances. It was seeing people with the eyes of Christ, and loving them as He does, that gave her much grace to serve well.
As a true Christian, Queen Elizabeth 11 did experience a lot of trials and sufferings, (as the Bible says, we can expect) but out of her life poured fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, patience, longsuffering, kindness, generosity, gentleness, goodness, mercy, compassion, and endurance. It was amazing to behold, but one knew she had put away her own thoughts, and sought Christ’s thoughts in her decisions. He then is Glorified.
Beautiful words 💜 amen 🙏
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Elizabeth, sleep well.
AMEN
I might have know Mark that you would have nailed it for us – our gracious Queen, we will not see her like again.
Thank you Mark for this reminder of her faith
A wonderful tribute. Thank you. I have often thought, while singing the National Anthem, that it’s a prayer which God answered as she sought to live out his ways in her life and work. May it be so for our new king.
A beautiful tribute to an amazing lady who followed God’s heart
Thank you Mark for putting together this wonderful eulogy. Most striking in it was Queen Elizabeth ‘s 2014 Christmas message stating to the world how Christ was her inspiration, anchor and role model of love, acceptance and healing. How striking in such a God-denying world! Also striking was your description of her faith as being testimonial and not argumentative emulating her qualities of grace. Also how miraculously, she helped transform the British Empire with its dominion, exploitation and colonies into a free and voluntary partnership of 54 nations as a Commonwealth; a truly remarkable transition in her life time in keeping with her Christian faith that echoed Micah’s injunction “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”; all qualities that Queen Elizabeth showed in her reign.
Thank you Mark. An enormously helpful piece, beautifully crafted as ever. She was a good and faithful servant to us all.
Thank You Ma’am, For your servant heart and life long devotion.
A touching account of our late Queen May we all
ponder on those few words “ it’s better to give than receive “ and if we do it we I’ll all be happier !
Thamk you, Mark, for a wonderful tribute to our remarkable Queen. God himself acknowledged her life by sending beautiiful rainbows over Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. God also planned that Prince Harry was in this country so enabling him to visit the Queen on her deathbed.
Elizabeth
Thank you, Mark, for this very comprehensive and beautifully written piece. It deserves wide publication in our national daily newspapers. Our dear Queen’s faith is being mentioned by some, but only in passing by most commentators.
This is a much fuller and more insightful account of both how and why Her Majesty ruled and reigned in the way that she did – humbly, wisely, faithfully and gloriously. As author and co-author of two wonderful books along these lines, you haven’t surprised me with this prompt response to our Queen’s death, but you have truly gladdened my heart and spirit. May God bless you.
A beautiful and well-written tribute to our late Queen.
Well, put Mark 📌 the Queen was not just a woman of grace but also a great woman of God.
R.I.P Your Grace you have been an inspiration not just to England nor the nation but to the world.
A wonderful and inspiring article Mark, many thanks
Many thanks Mark. So well expressed. She was an amazing lady of faith. God save our King.
As has already been expressed these past days, our Queen has been one of the greatest leaders the world has ever known, someone who gave her life for millions, a reflection of her Lord who gave his life for billions.
And you dear friend, have captured her perfectly, just like the Mark Greene whose own service to his Lord and fellow man, I deeply admire and give thanks for.
Thanks Mark for bringing together the Queen’s words over the years, as together they are a formidable witness.
One of the prayers for the anniversary of the Accession in the Book of Common Prayer includes the following petition:
May she possess the hearts of her people.
Praise the Lord for the wonderful way that prayer has been answered.
It’s clear that Her Majesty sought to follow Christ, but doing we have anything to indicate that she had a saving faith in Christ? E.g. the Pope also seeks to follow Christ, but most evangelical protestant churches would say that the Pope does not have saving faith in Christ because he teaches salvation by works rather than trusting completely in the finished work of Christ.
Thank you Mark for this wonderful tribute to Queen Elizabeth, a remarkable woman and follower of Jesus. As you put it so concisely ‘a beacon of grace’ she is indeed. I give thanks for her life of service, and devotion to duty and to Saviour. May her life and witness continue to cause ripples through history and eternity, to the glory of God.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Amen
This needs to be read by all on earth, it is a wonderful eulogy & I thank Mark Green for his exceptional clarity.
I want to send it to my family & friends. Please can you advise me if this is permitted & if it is how to send it on to them.
Thank you so much & a big thank you to all at LICC for their faithful service helping us know Christ in our lives x
Hi Valerie – glad you found it helpful! Please do share it with friends and family – you can just copy the browser link and share that with them.
Such a very fitting tribute to this wonderful lady, a sister in Christ, defender of the faith
Thank you Mark and I agree this should be read by all.
Thank you Mark – a thoughtful, well-written piece
Spot on. ! Wonderful eulogy and such an important message that the world needs to read. Thank you