As everyone knows, Queen Elizabeth passed away yesterday at the age of 96. I won’t try to duplicate the work of many who are ahead of me. For example:

John Stonestreet on Breakpoint wrote:

Perhaps the most consistent features of her tenure, which seemed out of step with the modern world, were her sense of duty and her consistent expression of faith and religious observance. Her annual Christmas messages reflected theology that was mostly orthodox and a faith in Jesus Christ that seemed personal. Convinced that Divine Providence had brought her to the throne, she seemed to see the crown as a calling and not an entitlement. In both of these things, her death marks the end of an era. – Breakpoint, September 9, 2022

Introducing their daily news update, World Magazine wrote:

When one monarch kneels before another, it signifies surrender—not just of one person but of an entire nation. Queen Elizabeth II often knelt before Jesus Christ in prayer and worship. In doing so, the queen pointed not just her subjects but the entire world to their Savior. In her Easter message in 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, she said:

Easter isn’t canceled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. … As dark as death can be—particularly for those suffering with grief—light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. – Queen Elizabeth, Easter 2020

I commend to you this obituary written by Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, author of Fruitfulness on the Frontline, from which I quote from time to time. Queen Elizabeth II, Beacon of Grace. On that page, you’ll also see a link to The Queen’s Way, a relatively long article, readable in its entirety, subtitled: A Celebration of Biblical Discipleship in Public Life.

I was struck by this picture on the front page of the Colorado Springs Gazette:

It was shot Tuesday, September 6, two days before her death. She was waiting to receive Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, her 15th. (She had also met with 14 US Presidents dating back to Eisenhower.) Think about it, 96 years old and still working right up until she died.

Some monarch said, “I am saved by an ‘m’ – 1 Corinthians 1 says, ‘Not many wise, not many noble…are called.'” Not many – not, not any! An important distinction.

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep… (Acts 13.36, ESV)