In the weeks before my friend’s wedding the rain poured for days on end. Then, as the happy
couple emerged from the church, bright shafts of light sparkled through the verdant, dripping
scene, and a glorious spread of blue opened and drove the clouds away.
Anyone who has organised an event in early June in England will recognise the scene, and know
the fug of hot muggy sun as it beats down on people in their finest making for a canopy’s shade or
alternatively shelter from the rain.
They will know the happy, adaptable spirit in which participants accept almost any condition in the
knowledge that loving refreshment and joy on faces awaits. From bubbles and beer to cake, tea
and sandwiches they realise it is nourishment not just of bellies but of souls.
And so we pray for sunshine to lighten our days, and especially these this weekend in celebration
of the seventy years’ service given by Her Majesty the Queen to our country and her subjects, in
her Platinum Jubilee.
Whatever one’s view of the institution of monarchy within our constitutional arrangements and
those of the other countries where Her Majesty is Head of State, I hope we can all agree that
Queen Elizabeth is a remarkable woman who has dedicated her life to the wellbeing of those living
within her realm and beyond. She has earned our respect and gratitude.
The turbulent times in which the Queen was born and raised gave way to a golden era of peace
and dramatic improvement in quality of life for most people on the planet. Her experience of
meeting leading thinkers and participants throughout the period make her one of the wisest people
we have in our community, and she has played no small part.
People who meet the Queen often remark on how interested she is in them and how ready she is
with the right searching questions. We can all learn from her example, to listen carefully to others,
be thoughtful about their point of view and contribution, and respond wisely.
She knows as well as anyone that with sunshine sometimes comes the rain, that we need to be
prepared for both, and that we need to be prepared for them to pass and for us to emerge still
strong on the other side.
So I wish everyone a wonderful celebration this weekend of everything it means to be part of our
community united under Queen Elizabeth’s reign. All the things we have in common. All the
memories of the generations she has witnessed. All the hopes her people have had for the future.
It is a time to be truly mindful of the community that she represents and has had the sometimes
heavy responsibility to embody. It is a time to be thankful for her selflessness, inspiration and sheer
hard work in its service.
I am so looking forward to spending this time in my own little piece of deep English community,
here in East Coker. Like many places in our gorgeous part of Somerset, the stones themselves
here hold on to the bright sun that has shone on many a generation, and will hopefully do so for
eons to come.
So make merry this day in Merry England, and God save our gracious Queen.
