Dear Friends,
In 1977 I stood outside St Paul's Cathedral to see the Queen arrive for the service celebrating her Silver Jubilee. Having been brought up in Zimbabwe where nothing was old, I was fascinated by the sense of history and continuity in this country. In particular, I'd decided that if there were any royal occasions during my time in England, I wanted to be there. So the day before my finals started, I was far away from my books outside St Paul's.It's amazing to think that the Queen has been on the throne for all the time that many of us have been alive! And what a symbol of steadfastness she is! I admire hugely the way she lives out the Christian faith, which obviously means so much to her, and the way she is very ready to speak about her faith. She's certainly needed its encouragement in some of the awful experiences she's had to face. And I admire enormously her sense of duty and faithfulness, the discipline which enables her to keep on in her mid-eighties. What an inspiration!
I suspect we take her for granted. I hope her jubilee is a time when we show how much she is appreciated. A great lady!
Best wishes to you
Chris
VERSE OF THE MONTH:
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31).