The Queen Has Died

The Queen has died.  Long live the King.

It is with profound sadness that I join the Prime Minister and the nation of Canada, the other Commonwealth Countries, and the world in mourning the death of Her Late Majesty The Queen.  Our prayers are with The King and the Royal Family. May God draw near them and comfort them in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Our grief runs deep, but even deeper is our gratitude for Her Late Majesty’s extraordinary dedication to the people of Canada.  

In her Christmas messages she reminded us of a deep truth about ourselves – we are a people of hope who care for one another.  We have been created by God to love one another and that God loves us so much that He send his only Son to save us from our sins.  Such love is so profound that we need to love God with all that we are.  She was an example of what it meant to live life courageously; she had a resilience about her and an instinct for putting the needs of others first.

As a faithful Christian disciple, and also Supreme Governor of the Anglican Church, she lived out her faith every day of her life. Her trust in God and profound love for God was foundational in how she led her life – hour by hour, day by day.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby writes: “In The Late Queen’s life, we saw what it means to receive the gift of life we have been given by God and – through patient, humble, selfless service – share it as a gift to others.

The Late Queen leaves behind a truly extraordinary legacy: one that is found in almost every corner of our national life, as well as the lives of so many nations around the world, and especially in the Commonwealth.”

May Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace and rise in glory.

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,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Everlasting God, we pray for our new King.
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;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.