Prayers on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

There’s no doubt today is one of the saddest days in the life of our Nation and Commonwealth, as we mourn the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. All of our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family at this time.

In these first grim moments since Buckingham Palace announced the solemn news, I know millions of people across the world have been taking time to think about Queen Elizabeth, reflect on her life and think about the bright light that has finally gone out. It is a day we knew would come but hoped it never would.

For so many of us, Her Majesty has been the only Monarch we have ever known.

As former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his tribute: “This is our country’s saddest day. In the hearts of every one of us there is an ache at the passing of our Queen, a deep and personal sense of loss – far more intense, perhaps, than we expected.” She was a grandmother to us all.

Prime Minister Liz Truss got it absolutely right when she said: “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.” The Elizabethan age maybe be over, a seventy-year reign which was unprecedented in the history of the British Monarchy, but her legacy will live for many generations to come.

Her Majesty has been a wonderful example of service above self during her reign. She gave us, in a world of tumultuous change, a sense of familiarity and stability. It goes without saying that her Christian faith has been instrumental to her life of service. In 1947, at the tender age of twenty-one, she said in a radio broadcast to the nation:

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial (Commonwealth) family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.

Our Queen has kept that promise faithfully, as throughout her long reign she demonstrated an extraordinary dedication and commitment to duty, performed with grace, strength, dignity and an admirable determination which will long be remembered. Whether it was her daily watch on the affairs of state; meetings with Prime Ministers, Presidents and Heads of States, where she had been consulted and offered deep wisdom along the way. The many tributes which have come pouring in from world leaders, past and present, give testimony to the high regard in which she was held. Indeed, in the words of President Macron: “To you, she was your Queen, to us, she was THE Queen.”

You can write your own tribute here on the online Book of Condolence here The Royal Family

Her Majesty demonstrated unswerving service, duty, and perseverance throughout her life, and she has based this on her deep and committed Christian faith. As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England she prayed daily and before her recent mobility issues (quite understandable at 96 years of age) attended church weekly.

As we mourn Her Majesty’s death, we give thanks to God for her life, her faith and her exceptional devotion to her duty as monarch.

On Sunday 11 September at Emmanuel, Billericay we will have a special commemoration service at 10.30 am marking the death of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. You are very welcome to join with us.

We thank God for Her Majesty’s 70yrs of service to the UK and the Commonwealth, for her unwavering leadership and her Christian faith. We join the rest of the nation and the world in remembering her with gratitude to God and pray for our new King, Charles III, as he accedes to the throne.

Gracious God,
We give thanks for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,
For her faith and her dedication to duty.
Bless our nation as we mourn her death
And may her example continue to inspire us.

God of love,
We thank you for the life of The Queen,
For her service to our nation and for her faith in you.
Be close to all of us who mourn,
That we may we find comfort and hope in your love.

Everlasting God,
We pray for our new King, Charles III.
Bless his reign and the life of our nation.
Help us to work together
So that truth and justice, harmony and fairness
flourish among us.

Compassionate God
Queen Elizabeth is also mourned as a mother,
Grandmother and great grandmother, friend and confidant.
Give courage to the Royal Family in their loss and sorrow.
Be their refuge and strength;
Reassure them of your continuing love
And lift them from the depths of grief
Into the peace and light of your presence.

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers and bring Your comfort;
Renew our trust in Jesus, whom You raised from the dead;
Strengthen our faith that those who die in the love of Jesus
will share in His resurrection;
We pray these things through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Gathering our thoughts, prayers, praises and memories into one, let us pray with confidence the prayer our Saviour has taught us (using the words of the traditional version):

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done;
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

TEARS AND CELEBRATION Lovely new words to a familiar tune in honour of our late Queen sung by Katherine Jenkins.