Elizabeth II: The Servant Queen

Queen Elizabeth II died last week. It was a surreal moment when I heard the news. It’s not that I thought she would live forever; rather, I had not considered the certainty that she would die.

She reigned for 70 years, seven months, and two days. She was one of the few remaining survivors of the World War II generation.  Not those who were alive during that generation, but also those who served during those harrowing times. The crown princess drove a truck (lorry) and did minor engine repairs during the war.  She was part of that group that Tom Brokaw called The Greatest Generation.

As the world honors her and mourns her passing, there are some things that we can learn from her example.  I know nothing of her personal spiritual walk.  She served as the head of the Church of England as a monarch.  She met with American Evangelist Billy Graham on many occasions and considered him her friend. While I do not know, it is reasonable to believe that she heard the gospel.

Committed to a higher calling.

The lessons that we can learn from her are about leadership. For Elizabeth II leadership was a calling determined by birth and blood, and it could never be rescinded.  Monarchs and royals before and after her have abdicated their royal responsibilities, but she felt an obligation to a calling that was greater and more important than her personal desires or ambitions. Serving as Queen, to her, was not something she chose, it was who she was.

We must view our calling from God in the same way—and this applies to every believer, not just those called to vocational ministry.  We did not choose to serve Him.  He chose us. I am not making a Calvinistic argument, I am making an appeal to the believers based upon the authority and sovereignty of God.  It is His right to call us, determine our role in life, and demand we obey. We are drafted into His service, we do not volunteer, and the role to which He calls us is our greatest purpose.

A servant leader.

Elizabeth II had a habit of signing all correspondence with the words “Your servant, Elizabeth R”.

The childish view of a monarch is as a boss who gets to tell everyone else what to do and is served hand and foot. Ignorant people who happen to come into great wealth often treat others in this way. I am not sure who taught her, but Elizabeth II, in contrast, serves as a great example of servant leadership as the Bible describes it.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

Yes.  She lived in great homes, had all her needs met, and had a massive amount of wealth at her disposal. But she also worked tirelessly over the course of nearly 71 years to fulfill her duties.  She did it as a servant to her nation as a civic body and to its people.  She never retired.  She kept working through war, conflict, trial, change, family tragedy, personal sorrow, and advancing age. Our greatest treasure is not the wealth that surrounds us, after all, you can only eat so much, sleep in so many different beds, and wear so many different kinds of clothes.  The satisfactions of wealth come in the perceived security it provides, and the amount of time it frees to pursue the things that give us the greatest personal joy.  Our time is our greatest earthly treasure and she gave it to the people of her nation until the last days of her life.

Her sacrificial commitment to her calling and her people is a great example to us all who have been entrusted by God with any level of leadership over others.

Her greatest legacy is that her signature line reflected her honest view of herself.

Your servant, Elizabeth R