Okay, so some may scoff at me for being a royalist or the like, tuning in to such an old fashioned tradition. I mean, what does the queen have to offer us today? How on earth can she have anything to relate to us as she sits on her throne in a palace far removed from the reality of life? It is tradition in my family, whatever we may be doing, that on Christmas day, at 3pm we tune into the Queen, listening to her Christmas message. 

I have wondered what it is that draws me to watch. What values do I hold in relation to what I see and hear from the Queen. In the UK, as a Christian, and someone who has attended and Anglican church for most of my life, the Queen is the “Defender of the faith”, a title stemming back to the protestant reformation. Now we may debate the moral attributes (or lack thereof) in regards to the beginnings of such a title, but I appreciate that in our world of “Political Correctness” where we are unable to express the nature of our faith as Christians without someone accusing us of inciting racial hatred, the Queen foregoes this culture and speaks clearly that Christmas can only find its true meaning in relation to the gift of Christ. 

Throughout her 60 odd year reign, the Queen, using her privileged position, has shown herself as someone of strength, constancy, inspiration, and of faith. There is question currently, raised by the Archbishop of Cantebury as to whether the church and state should continue to be united in this country. Currently, despite various negative aspects of such union, there are also advantages, and one is that each Christmas, at 3pm, the Queen has declared a message of hope and happiness that can be found only in Christ. I am grateful for that. 

This year the Queen presented the question of where can we find true happiness?

She drew our attention to those who lead outgoing and unselfish lives – generous with talents and time, benefiting others. she reminded us that life is full of blessings, a precious gift for which we should be thankful. She exhorted us to find hope and be comforted by the example of Jesus – who himself led an unselfish, sacrificial life, and it is He that makes it clear that general human happiness is found more in giving than receiving, in serving rather than beng served.

We can, as the Queen pointed out, draw inspiration from his life. In him we find out  source of strength and courage.

Related posts:

1. The 12 Days of Christmas – Revised Version!
2. >The Archbishop of Cantebury's Christmas message
3. Have yourself a truly Charlie Brown Christmas
4. >Heaven's very own Christmas Tree
5. >Just because it's Christmas