Thanksgiving Service for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Thanksgiving Service for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
‘A life well lived’
A warm welcome to the historic parish of Loughborough in this sombre time for our nation. During these days of national mourning our doors have been open each day to welcome all who wish to express their grief and to make their prayers in this ancient sacred place.
The Book of Condolence at the front of church can be signed after the service and will remain here until the end of the official period of mourning.
During the service most of the words in normal type are said by the ministers and other participants representing different parts of our community. The words in Bold Type are said by all. At certain points in the service the
congregation is invited to stand or kneel, please feel free to remain seated if you need to do so.
The service is being live streamed to our church YouTube channel. Most of the views will be of the those speaking but there will be some congregational footage. If you wish to ensure you are not seen on camera please speak to the stewards who will seat you accordingly.
Our service this evening is led by the Revd Wendy Dalrymple, Rector of All Saints and Chaplain to the Mayor and the preacher is the Right Revd. Saju Muthalaly, Bishop of Loughborough in the Anglican Diocese of Leicester.
Our organist and choir conductor is Simon Headley, Interim Choral Director and Principal Organist here. The string quartet is led by Kate Burns, Interim Music Coordinator at All Saints and Head of Strings at Loughborough Schools Foundation.
LSF Harker String Quartet
Yla Lloyd - Violin
Felipe Iza Kim - Violin
Kate Burns. - Viola
Noah Prydal - Cello
Refreshments will be served after the service in the chancel. Toilets can be found to the front of the church including an accessible toilet and baby change facilities.
Organ Music before the service
Meditation on Brother James' Air
Harold Darke (1888-1976)
Nimrod, IX of the variations on an original theme
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), arr. Harris
Elegy
Sir George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987)
The service begins with the choir singing an introit followed by the opening hymn, see over. Please stand for the hymn and the procession.
Introit
Holy is the true light
William Harris (1883—1973)
Holy is the True Light, and passing wonderful,
lending radiance to them that endured in the heat of the conflict;
from Christ they inherit a home of unfading splendour,
wherein they rejoice with gladness evermore.
Alleluia!
Procession
Crucifer
Pupils from the Loughborough Church of England Primary School
carrying a Book of Condolence
Anais Banister & Danny Mitchell
Chaplain to the Mayor of Charnwood
Church Wardens of the Historic Parish Church
Gwyn Bates and Marek Ryznarski
Bishop of Loughborough
The service begins with the singing of the introit (see previous page) followed by the processional hymn. During this hymn the minsters process and a Book of Condolence is presented by pupils from the Loughborough Church of England Primary School.
Processional Hymn
Words written by the Revd Dominic Grant , a URC Minister based in Barnet, used here with permission.. To the tune Thaxted (from The Planets by Gustav Holst, 1874–1934)
We stand to mourn a sovereign,
a nation’s guide and friend,
who through long years of tumult
was faithful to the end.
We offer our thanksgiving
for all that she instilled:
her constancy of service,
her lifetime’s vow fulfilled.
Now from our world departed –
though never from our hearts –
receive her in the peace, Lord,
your love alone imparts.
And as we mark a passing
of sceptre, orb, and throne,
we’ll find in her compassion
a pattern for our own:
that all who stand in mourning,
or languish now in fear,
may know again your promise
to wipe away each tear.
With her we’ll join in witness,
Christ’s mercies our refrain:
great Sovereign of the nations,
eternal is your reign!
Greeting
We meet in the name of Jesus Christ,
who died and was raised to the glory of God the Father.
Grace and mercy be with each one of you.
We come together to remember before God
her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,
to give thanks for her life,
and to comfort one another in this time of grief.
Informal words of welcome and introduction are given by the Rector and Chaplain to the Mayor.
Readings and Prayers
Representatives from some of the religious communities that make up Loughborough Council of Faiths offer a prayer or reading before lighting a candle.
Muslim
Words from The Qur’an from Surah Al-Mulk recited by Nurain Nur in Arabic
There is No power Nor might except with Allah.
To Allah We Belong and to Him is our return.
I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Shaitan (Satan)
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things.
Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving;
Who has created the seven heavens one above another, you can seen no fault in the creations of the Most Beneficent. Then look again: “Can you see any rifts?”
Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation and worn out.
Sikh
A prayer from Sri Guru Granth Sahib read by Mr Lal Singh Assi,
From where it originated, there the soul is blended again. It is absorbed in the Love of the True Lord.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Excerpts from Doors of Death an address by Russell M Nelson, global leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read by Juliet Ford.
Irrespective of age, we mourn for those loved and lost. Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love. It is a natural response in complete accord with divine commandment: “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die.” Moreover, we can’t fully appreciate joyful reunions later without tearful separations now. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.
Life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to Earth and obtaining a physical body. Knowingly, we wanted the risks of mortality, which would allow the exercise of agency and accountability. “This life [was to become] a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God.” But we regarded the returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip….. Returning from Earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven.
Bahá'í
A prayer read by George Merchant Ballentyne
God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, "the Kingdom is God's", may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.
Brahma Kumaris
read by Carolyn Vetter
God knows about a woman’s greatness
A woman’s greatness - or you could say,
The greatness of the feminine principle - is Virtue,
Especially the qualities of mercy, love and truth....
God knows that for her these qualities are like possessions
And if she wishes to, she can use them
Not just for herself or her immediate family,
But for the whole world.
He knows that, if she wishes, she can be
More than just the mother of her one family.
She can be a mother of the whole world -
The family of humanity.
Hindu
Three mantras recited in Sanskrit by Dr Ram Chhabra
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow,
The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of the Universe,
May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.
OM We worship the Three-eyed Lord who is fragrant and who nourishes and nurtures all beings. As is the ripened cucumber (with the intervention of the gardener) freed from its bondage (to the creeper) May He liberate us from death for the sake of immortality.
Aum. Lead me from unreal to real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality. Aum... peace, peace, peace.
The final two candles are lit. Firstly Penelope Rowe representing Charnwood Druids and then Revd Chris Taylor as Chair of Loughborough Council of Faiths. Whilst this is done music for reflection is played by the string quartet.
Music for Reflection
Now is Found the Fairest of Roses
German Traditional arr. The Danish String Quartet
Published in 1732 by poet and theologian Brorson, this beautiful Christmas hymn talks not only about a holy infant born in Bethlehem but describes a fair rose growing in a world of thistles and thorns. The mysterious dark melody is in fact a Lutheran funeral chorale which elegantly shows us how life and death are always connected.
In the Queen’s Own Words
First excerpt from the Coronation Speech on 2 June 1953
Reflecting on the events of the day, thanking the public for their support and promising to serve the nation.
Read by Anna Longley, Ranger Guide
“...The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins are veiled in the mists of the past. But their spirit and their meaning shine through the ages never, perhaps, more brightly than now.
I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust…”
Tri Service Gathering in Portsmouth 27 June 2002
An address given to representatives of the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force recognising the service and loyalty shown
Read by Captain Ben Wing, Royal Logistic Corps
“...I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the special strains that this service places on wives, husbands and families. Service overseas, particularly in response to unexpected crises in distant parts of the world, inevitably disrupts family life and I want to pay tribute to all service families for their support and their toleration of frequent separation…”
A speech to the COP26 Evening Reception 1 November 2021
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow
Read by Professor Nick Jennings Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University
“...For more than seventy years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the world’s great leaders. And I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special. It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow- that is statesmanship. I, for one, hope that this will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship…”
Second excerpt from the Coronation Speech on 2 June 1953
Read by Councillor Jennifer Tillotson, Mayor of the Borough of Charnwood
“...As this day draws to its close, I know that my abiding memory of it will be, not only the solemnity and beauty of the ceremony, but the inspiration of your loyalty and affection. I thank you all from a full heart.
God bless you all.”
Hymn
Choir Brother, sister let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
All We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh, I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we've seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we've known together
of Christ's love and agony.
Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
Bible reading from Isaiah
Read by Father David Jones, from St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.
23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
Here end the reading
All Thanks be to God.
The 23rd Psalm
Sung by the choir to the setting called Brother James’ Air arranged by Gordon Jacob
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
he makes me down to lie
in pastures green; he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again,
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of blessedness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.
Yea, though I pass thro’ shadowed vale,
yet will I fear no ill;
for thou art with me,
and thy rod and staff me comfort still.
My table thou hast furnishèd
in presence of my foes;
my head with oil thou dost anoint,
and my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my days
will surely follow me;
and in my Father’s heart always
my dwelling place shall be
Bible reading from the Gospel of John
Read in Shona by Canon Dr Codra Spencer, Ambassador for Mothers’ Union, a Friend of Shearly Cripps Children’s Home and St Clare’s Clinic in the Diocese of Harare, Zimbabwe.
1’Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ 5 Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?’ 6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
Sermon
Given by The Right Revd Saju Muthalaly, Bishop of Loughborough in the Anglican Diocese of Leicester
Music for Reflection
Ae Romeser
Danish Traditonal arr. The Danish String Quartet
This 18th Century gentle dance has a beautiful bittersweet melody evocative of the last leaves of Autumn peacefully settling on the ground.
Prayers and Commendation
Led by
The Revd. Elizabeth York,
Chaplain to the Loughborough Schools Foundation
Dr Ayodeji Akiwowo
Minister of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Cornerstone Parish Loughborough
Sneha Ninan
Vice Chair of Loughborough Churches Partnership
Keith Munro
Lead Outreach Worker for the SOAR Project
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
All Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
You may wish to kneel.
I invite you to join if you wish in the saying of the Lord’s Prayer and to do so in whichever language is closest to your heart.
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,
All And there shall no torment touch them.
You, Lord, have delivered my soul from death,
All My eyes from tears and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord
All 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.
All 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.
All 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.
All Amen.
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. May God in his mercy grant us, with all the faithful departed, rest and peace.
All Amen.
Final Hymn
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
to his feet thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who like me his praise should sing?
Alleluia, alleluia,
praise the everlasting King.
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:
Alleluia, alleluia,
widely as his mercy flows.
Frail as summer’s flower we flourish;
blows the wind and it is gone;
But, while mortals rise and perish,
God endures unchanging on:
Alleluia, alleluia,
praise the high eternal One.
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:
Alleluia, alleluia,
praise with us the God of grace.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, bless our Sovereign Lord KING Charles III, and all who are in authority under
him; that they may order all things in wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace, to the honour of your name, and the good of your Church and people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
Go forth into the world in peace.
Be of good courage.
Hold fast that which is good.
Render to no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the fainthearted.
Support the weak.
Help the afflicted.
Show love to everyone.
Love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
and the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Please remain standing for the National Anthem
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 give us ever cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the King.
Organ Voluntary
Prelude in E-flat (BWV 552i) - J S Bach