Lay Leader Reflections
God Save the UMC
As I write this, much of the world is mourning the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. We knew this day would come, after all she was 96 years old, a long certainly well-lived life by any standard. Hers was an extraordinary life, she ascended to the throne at age 27, a role that she served for 70 years making her the longest ruling monarch in British history. The vast amount of experiences she had, the wide array of people she met, and the places she visited surely gave her a wealth of understanding and wisdom that few can claim. And regardless of your thoughts regarding the British monarchy and all that it entails, you must admit that Queen Elizabeth had a truly remarkable vantage point to the world and its happenings during her reign. It has been said her life was “sustained by faith and driven by duty”. By all accounts she truly was a person of deep faith. As such we celebrate not only her accomplished earthly life but her heavenly homecoming as well. For after all, as Christians we know that though our bodies fail, we claim our eternal life in Christ! Still, even though we knew her passing was a mortal inevitability, the Queen’s death managed to cause most of the world to collectively catch its breath.
But these ramblings aren’t as much a homage to Queen Elizabeth as it is a glimpse into what I see happening in the UMC in this moment. We know that change is coming to the UMC, in many ways that change is already here, and we are greeting it with a mixture of anticipation and angst. For some this involves lament and mourning, for as the Queen herself said, “mourning is the price of love” and many of us have grown to love the UMC as we’ve known it, faulted though it may be. Not just for what it represents as a living example of the body of Christ, but for what it has meant to us in our sense of belonging. I frequently hear people talk about how their lives have been shaped physically, emotionally, and spiritually through their local church family. For so many, the UMC local church has become the “third place” in their life. It is where we build relationships, break bread, and share life’s joys and sorrows together. By its very nature, the UMC encourages living in connection with one another and being in connection with the world around us. All of which has enabled us to witness God’s mighty acts of transformative grace in ways we never could have imagined possible.
While the Queen’s passing is incredibly bittersweet and for better or worse, it ushers in a new era to British history and a time of transformation. What this new era holds is unknown, what disruptors lie ahead we cannot see, and what its legacy will be is up to the collective efforts of all those who live it. Friends, we as members of the UMC are in a similar position. While I too mourn the loss of some of that which has been in our denomination, the faith that I have come to know and experienced in our beloved UMC fills me with anticipation and hope as we start this new chapter in our church’s history. One that continues with the best of what has been and that will extend to all who seek to find their calling and to be in relationship with one who loves beyond measure. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection we claim we are a resurrection people and to that end, I am holding to the following prayer and affirmation:
God saved the Queen
May God save the King
And may God save the UMC
P.S. A moment of personal privilege:
Those of you who know me likely won’t be surprised to learn there is a story connected to Queen Elizabeth. While I never met her, My Debby and I did spend 15 hours with her once. It was November of 1995, and four of us decided to take the “trip of a life-time” to visit New Zealand. We saved up for a year for the trip and decided to book our flight using our blue screen IBM computer (anyone remember those??) rather than using a travel agent. We arrived in Los Angeles four hours prior to our international flight but were told we needed to go directly to the Air New Zealand desk to check-in. It was then that the news crews started arriving which was our first clue something was up with our flight. That’s when we found out that we were traveling with Queen Elizabeth and a plane full of dignitaries, press, and what I can only assume were plain-clothed military/security (think really fit men and women who we suspected were packing heat . . .) all of whom were headed to Auckland for the British Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. For 15 hours we sat in coach on a packed 747 dubbed Air New Zealand Flt #1 where we were wined and dined as if we were royalty.
I don’t drink much but had worked really hard getting ready for this vacation and felt obligated to take advantage of Air New Zealand’s hospitality. All of which is to say that after a very l-o-n-g flight I was admittedly a little “punch drunk” by the time we landed. Everyone had been so kind to us Four Yank Girls (that’s what we were referred to by most of the folks on the flight) that I felt compelled to do something to express our gratitude. I knew My Debby, being raised in Peru and having attended a British school, would know exactly what would be appropriate – and her reply of “why don’t you just stand up and sing God Save the Queen” seemed quite reasonable. So that’s precisely what I proceeded to do. What I hadn’t considered was that the vast majority of the passengers, being loyal subjects, would dutifully rise from their seats and join in. As we were exiting the plane the head Steward of the flight stepped in front of me, called me by name, and then said “her Majesty asked that I inform you that she sends her regards”. To this day it is one of the few times in my life that I was truly speechless.
Alice Williams
Co-Lay Leader, Florida Conference