[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during September 2022]
We have witnessed the end of an era. That phase frequently suffers from over-use but rarely has there been a more appropriate occasion for its deployment. The death of Queen Elizabeth II will not leave many people unchanged; life will go on but, for many, not as we have known it.
Although the monarchy passed immediately upon the death of the queen there are procedures which constitute a de-facto transition period. Officially at least, the high-profile elements of transition were concluded with the state funeral and subsequent commitment but there are many smaller aspects of change that will take time to put into effect. Stamps, coins, passports and other official documents will change in due course. Even Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs will change its name, but we will not like them any the more for that!
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Why is the new king called Charles the Third? Simply, because he is the third English monarch to have that name.
– Charles I succeeded to the throne in 1625 at the age of 25. His disputes with Parliament led to the English Civil War which his side lost. He was executed in 1649 and a new era of constitutional monarchy was initiated.
– Charles II succeeded to the throne in 1660 at the age of 30. He reigned during the Great Fire of London. He died in 1685 from an apoplectic fit, leaving no legitimate heir. The Great Fire ushered in a new era of urban development.
– Charles III succeeded to the throne in 2022 at the age of 73. The records of his reign are for future historians (and social commentators) to write.
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Much of the Old Testament is concerned with the rise and fall of monarchs; their behaviour, their influence on their people and God’s final verdict on whether or not they did what was right in his sight. While most of the records relate to kings there are some notable queens:
– Makeda, unnamed in the Bible but as the Queen of Sheba she is known to have been rich and famous.
– Vashti, queen in the court of the Medes and Persians, who attempted to usurp the social norms of the day.
– Esther, a young Jewess with both brains and beauty who became queen and saved her people from impending persecution.
– Jezebel, who was so evil that she was denied a proper burial.
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There is another ‘end of an era’ coming. John wrote about it in the book of Revelation:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Revelation 21 v1 [NIVUK]
We, whether alive or already dead, will not escape this event. Are you eagerly anticipating it or does the idea fill you with dismay and trepidation? We do not know when this end of an era will happen but the consequences of being unprepared will be damning[1].
[1] Revelation 21 v8
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