Thrones and Sceptres - May 5
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; Wisdom 6:12-23; Col 3:1-11; Luke 7:1-17
Today’s Reflection
The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom. Therefore if you delight in thrones and sceptres, O monarchs over the peoples, honour wisdom, so that you may reign for ever. Wisdom of Solomon 6: 17-21
Tomorrow is a big day for people in the United Kingdom as it is Coronation Day for Charles III. Many others around the world will watch with interest as he is officially crowned the monarch over England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. As Episcopalians, we may have some extra interest in this event as the king or queen of England is also considered, at least in title, the head of the Church of England. In their cultural context, church and state are intertwined in ways that may seem arcane and puzzling to many in the United States, where we prize the separation of church and state.
The Coronation is a liturgy presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury (currently the Most Rev. Justin Welby), taking place in Westminster Abbey. The liturgy is a 34-page order of service (or 42 pages if you want to read the commentary), which includes many familiar elements from our shared Anglican tradition. One part of the service that seems familiar if you have been to an ordination service is the singing of the Veni Creator prayer:
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, And lighten with celestial fire. Thou the anointing Spirit art, Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart. Thy blessèd unction from above Is comfort, life, and fire of love. Enable with perpetual light The dullness of our blinded sight. Anoint and cheer our soiled face With the abundance of thy grace. Keep far our foes, give peace at home: Where thou art guide, no ill can come. Teach us to know the Father, Son, And thee, of both, to be but One. That, through the ages all along, This may be our endless song: Praise to thy eternal merit, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Immediately following singing Veni Creator, in Welsh and in English, the Archbishop of Canterbury will pray thanksgiving for the Holy Oil, made of olives from the Mount of Olives (where Charles’ grandmother, Princess Alice, is buried), and blessed and presented by the Archbishops of Jerusalem. In this thanksgiving, the Archbishop of Canterbury prays,
By the power of the same Spirit, bless and sanctify this oil, that it may be for thy servant Charles a sign of joy and gladness; that as King he may know the abundance of thy grace and the power of thy mercy, and that we may be made a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for thine own possession.
At this point, the Coronation liturgy takes an interesting turn, as the Anointing Screen is arranged around the Coronation chair, which means that the most holy moment of the service remains unseen by the thousands gathered in the Abbey and the millions viewing the ceremony around the world. This is the part of the service that most parallels the point in the ordination of a deacon, priest, or bishop, when the bishop’s hands are placed on the head of the ordinand, the Holy Spirit is invoked, and the person at that point becomes what he or she is being ordained to be. And so it is with Charles III. As he anoints Charles with holy oil, on his hands, breast, and head, the Archbishop prays:
Be your hands anointed with holy oil. Be your breast anointed with holy oil. Be your head anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so may you be anointed, blessed, and consecrated King over the peoples, whom the Lord your God has given you to rule and govern; in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And he prays this blessing:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by his Father was anointed with the Oil of gladness above his fellows, by his holy Anointing pour down upon your Head and Heart the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and prosper the works of your Hands: that by the assistance of his heavenly grace you may govern and preserve the People committed to your charge in wealth, peace, and godliness; and after a long and glorious course of ruling a temporal kingdom wisely, justly, and religiously, you may at last be made partaker of an eternal kingdom, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Only after Charles III has received this anointing and blessing is he then garbed with his royal vestments and receives his spurs, swords, armills, stole, robe, orb, ring, glove, rod, and sceptre, all of which are presented with great ceremony and lead up to the crowning, after which all respond, “God Save the King!” Following this, the Queen is crowned, and the service then turns to the celebration of the Eucharist, using the traditional English Book of Common Prayer language (much like our Rite I liturgy).
Regardless of what one thinks of monarchy as a tradition or as a means of governance (personally I have some doubts about it on several levels), it is worthwhile to reflect on Britain’s tradition of praying for their leaders and anointing them in this way. As our friend Sam Wells recently preached, in a sermon at St. Martin-in-the-Fields leading up to Coronation Week, “The British monarch is a symbol of this country’s commitment to the flourishing of all its people, bar none, and of all people everywhere. The most demanding aspect of being king is not the scrutiny or constant public attention but the setting aside of any purpose other than that of the people’s flourishing.”
In the monarch, Wells argues, we are given one picture of what it can mean to follow in the way of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and as he concluded his sermon, “May the coronation of King Charles focus our attention on the qualities needed to shepherd the nation and the Commonwealth; may it empower each one of us in the way we shepherd those in our care; and may it renew our wonder at the good shepherd who himself became a lamb, and whose goodness and mercy follow us all our days, that we might share green pastures and dwell in God’s house forever.”
Becky+
Moment for Reflection
You can view Wells’ sermon, “The Qualities of a Shepherd,” on YouTube (sermon begins at 22:30). Or you may find the transcript here.
If you are interested in reading the Coronation liturgy for yourself (or having a copy to look at if you’re viewing the Coronation online or on television), you can download it here.