Service of Commemoration for Her Majesty the Queen

Our worship begins at the sound of the bell, please stand as the first hymn is sung.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven!
To his feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like thee his praise should sing?
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Glorious in his faithfulness!

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Widely as his mercy flows!

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise him! Praise him!
Praise with us the God of grace.

Words: H. F. Lyte (1793-1847) based on Psalm 103
Music: J. Goss (1800-1880)
Hymn Tune: PRAISE, MY SOUL

Please remain standing.

Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

John 11.25,26

I am sure that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38,39

In the name of Christ,
who died and was raised to the glory of God the Father,
grace, mercy and peace be with you.

And also with you.

We meet this evening to remember before God
our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth,
to renew our trust and confidence in Christ,
and to pray that together we may be one in him,
through whom we offer our prayers
and praises to the Father.

Please sit.

Following some words of welcome the following words, spoken by Queen Elizabeth (as HRH The Princess Elizabeth) in a radio broadcast to the whole of the then British Empire from Cape Town on the occasion of her 21^st birthday in 1947 are read.

I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. I should like to make that dedication now. It is very simple.

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial family to which we all belong, but I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in with me, as I now invite you to do. I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, lover of souls:
you uphold us in life and sustain us in death:
to you be glory and praise for ever!
For the darkness of this age is passing away
as Christ the bright and morning star
brings to his saints the light of life.
As you give light to those in darkness,
who walk in the shadow of death,
so remember in your kingdom
your faithful servant, Elizabeth,
that death may be for her
the gate to life and to unending fellowship with you;
where with your saints you live and reign,
one in the perfect union of love,
now and for ever.

Amen.

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

We remain seated as Psalm 23 is sung by the choir.

The Lord is my shepherd;
Therefore can I lack nothing.

He shall feed me in a green pasture:
And lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.

He shall convert my soul:
And bring me forth in the paths of righteousness
for his Name’s sake.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me.

Thou shalt prepare a table before me
against them that trouble me:
Thou hast anointed my head with oil
and my cup shall be full.

But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Glory be to the Father:
And to the Son and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be:
World without end. Amen.

Old Testament Reading

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the
    oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

Isaiah 61.1-3

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn

Please stand.

Lord of all hopefulness,
Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like,
No cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking,
And give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord,
At the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness,
Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled
At the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours,
And give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord,
At the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness,
Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome,
Your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing,
And give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord,
At the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness,
Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment,
Whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping,
And give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord,
At the end of the day.

Words: J. Struther (1901-1953)
Music: Irish traditional melody arr. C. Hand (1929-2015)
Hymn Tune: SLANE

New Testament Reading

Please sit.

A reading from 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, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Revelation 21.1-7

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Hymn

Please stand.

Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
Urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
Sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided:
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
Speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
Teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us:
Lord of the word, receive your people’s praise.

Lord, for our land in this our generation,
Spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care:
For young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.

Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt you,
Loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain,
Hungry and helpless, lost indeed without you:
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.

Lord for ourselves; in living pow’r remake us –
Self on the cross and Christ upon the throne,
Past put behind us, for the future take us:
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

Words: T. Dudley-Smith (b. 1926)
Music: M. A. Baughen (b. 1930) arr. D. Iliff (b. 1939)
Hymn Tune: LORD OF THE YEARS

Prayers of Intercession

Please kneel or sit.

Let us pray.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

And there shall no torment touch them.

You, Lord, have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears and my feet from falling.

I will walk before the Lord

In the land of the living.

Merciful Father and Lord of all life,
we praise you
that we are made in your image
and reflect your truth and light.
We thank you for the life of
our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth,
for the love she received from you and showed among us.
Above all, we rejoice at your gracious
promise to all your servants, living and departed,
that we shall rise again at the coming of Christ.
And we ask that in due time
we may share with your servant Elizabeth
that clearer vision promised to us
in the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Eternal God, our maker and redeemer,
grant us, with your servant Queen Elizabeth
and all the faithful departed,
the sure benefits of your Son’s
saving passion and glorious resurrection:
that, in the last day,
when you gather up all things in Christ,
we may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Almighty God,
Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort:
deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn,
the members of the Royal Family,
this Nation and all the Nations of the Commonwealth,
that casting all our care on you,
we may know the consolation of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Hymn

Please stand.

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom.
Let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
Life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conqu’rors, through thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.

Words: E. L. Budry (1854-1932)
translated by R. B. Hoyle (1875-1939)
Music: G. F. Handel (1685-1759)
Hymn Tune: MACCABAEUS

The Commendation

Please remain standing.

Silence is kept.

Into your hands,
O Father and Lord,
we commend your servant,
our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth.
Enlighten her with your holy grace
and suffer her never to be separated from you,
O Lord in Trinity, God everlasting.

Amen.

The Blessing

God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the King, the Commonwealth, and all humankind,
peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants, life everlasting;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you always.

Amen.

The National Anthem

God save our gracious King,
Long live our noble King,
God save the King.
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the King.

Thy choicest gifts in store
On him be pleased to pour,
Long may he reign:
May he defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the King!

The church will remain open until 9.00 pm for private prayer.