The Queen’s Faith
Queen Elizabeth II describes her faith
The Queen’s Faith – PDF Platinum Jubilee edition 2022
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Queen Elizabeth II describes her faith
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The Queen’s Faith
Queen Elizabeth II describes her faith
This book includes excerpts from The Queen’s 70 personal broadcasts through her long reign compiled in these 10 themes:
1 Jesus Christ
2 Service & Support
3 Peace & Goodwill
4 Faith & Hope
5 Light & Life
6 Truth & Courage
7 Love & Kindness
8 Compassion & Care
9 Forgiveness & Reconciliation
10 Respect & Tolerance
The Queen’s Faith is an anthology showing how Queen Elizabeth II describes her faith, including excerpts from Her Majesty’s annual Christmas broadcasts and from her historic Easter broadcast in 2020 when churches were closed. The Queen describes the significance of Christmas and of the Christian faith in her own words while respecting people of all faiths or of none. The Gift Edition is printed in colour.
70 excerpts arranged in the ten themes of Jesus Christ, service & support, peace & goodwill, faith & hope, light & life, truth & courage, love and kindness, compassion & care, forgiveness & reconciliation, respect & tolerance.
* Took a read on the link! Really interesting and a great book! ~ Natalie Tse
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Videos:
The Queen’s Faith – link to two videos
Trailer:
This book has excerpts from The Queen’s broadcasts in the ten themes.
The companion book, The Queen’s Christmas & Easter Messages arranges the same excerpts (longer) chronologically with a double-page for each year of The Queen’s long reign, updated annually.
Published in Czech
Companion book:
The Queen’s Christmas and Easter Messages
The Queen’s Christmas & Easter Messages – Blog
Queen Elizabeth II describes the significance of Christmas and Easter
The Queen’s Christmas & Easter Messages – PDF
Platinum Jubilee edition 2022
The PDF top right corner can give you ‘Two page view’ as in printed books.
Queen Elizabeth II describes the significance of Christmas & Easter.
Each illustrated double-page in this book tells about the annual broadcast with an entry for every year of The Queen’s reign from 1952.
The Gift Edition is printed in colour.
Gift idea – Amazon can mail it with a free note
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Excerpt examples:
To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example. (2000)
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For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. (2014)
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Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ’s unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another. (2015)
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Jesus Christ lived obscurely for most of his life, and never travelled far. He was maligned and rejected by many, though he had done no wrong. And yet, billions of people now follow his teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe. (2016)
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We remember the birth of Jesus Christ, whose only sanctuary was a stable in Bethlehem. He knew rejection, hardship and persecution. And, yet, it is Jesus Christ’s generous love and example which has inspired me through good times and bad. (2017)
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The Christmas story retains its appeal since it doesn’t provide theoretical explanations for the puzzles of life. Instead, it’s about the birth of a child, and the hope that birth 2,000 years ago brought to the world. Only a few people acknowledged Jesus when he was born; now billions follow him. I believe his message of peace on earth and goodwill to all is never out of date. It can be heeded by everyone. It’s needed as much as ever. (2018)
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Of course, at the heart of the Christmas story lies the birth of a child, a seemingly small and insignificant step overlooked by many in Bethlehem. But in time, through his teaching and by his example, Jesus Christ would show the world how small steps, taken in faith and in hope, can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding. (2019)
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The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. … May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. (2020 Easter)
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Every year, we herald the coming of Christmas by turning on the lights. And light does more than create a festive mood. Light brings hope. For Christians, Jesus is “the light of the world” … The teachings of Christ have served as my inner light, as has the sense of purpose we can find in coming together to worship. … Let the light of Christmas, the spirit of selflessness, love, and above all hope, guide us in the times ahead. (2020 Christmas)
It is this simplicity of the Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing, simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus – a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith. His birth marked a new beginning. As the carol says: ‘The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.’(2021)
Historic Easter Message
Excerpt from The Queen’s historic Easter message on Easter Saturday, 2020, when churches were closed due to the Coronavirus.
Many religions have festivals which celebrate light overcoming darkness. Such occasions are often accompanied by the lighting of candles. They seem to speak to every culture, and appeal to people of all faiths, and of none. They are lit on birthday cakes and to mark family anniversaries, when we gather happily around a source of light. It unites us.
As darkness falls on the Saturday before Easter Day, many Christians would normally light candles together. In church, one light would pass to another, spreading slowly and then more rapidly as more candles are lit. It’s a way of showing how the good news of Christ’s resurrection has been passed on from the first Easter by every generation until now. …
The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that Coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be – particularly for those suffering with grief – light and life are greater.
May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.
I wish everyone of all faiths and denominations a blessed Easter.
Queen Elizabeth II in 2020
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Themes in the book The Queen’s Faith
A single excerpt on each theme. The book contains many more excerpts.
1 Jesus Christ
Christmas broadcast 2000
The Queen’s speech in 2000 described the significance of the new millennium.
Christmas is the traditional, if not the actual, birthday of a man who was destined to change the course of our history. And today we are celebrating the fact that Jesus Christ was born two thousand years ago; this is the true Millennium anniversary.
The simple facts of Jesus’ life give us little clue as to the influence he was to have on the world. As a boy he learnt his father’s trade as a carpenter. He then became a preacher, recruiting twelve supporters to help him.
But his ministry only lasted a few years and he himself never wrote anything down. In his early thirties he was arrested, tortured and crucified with two criminals. His death might have been the end of the story, but then came the resurrection and with it the foundation of the Christian faith.
Even in our very material age the impact of Christ’s life is all around us. If you want to see an expression of Christian faith you have only to look at our awe-inspiring cathedrals and abbeys, listen to their music, or look at their stained glass windows, their books and their pictures. (2000)
2 Service & Support
Princess Elizabeth’s 21st Birthday Speech, 21 April 1947
There is a motto which has been borne by many of my ancestors – a noble motto, “I serve.” …
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 strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it 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.
(1947)
3 Peace & Goodwill
The first Royal Christmas Message televised in colour, 1967
Modern communications make it possible for me to talk to you in your homes and to wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year. These techniques of radio and television are modern, but the Christmas message is timeless.
You may have heard it very often but in the end, no matter what scientific progress we make, the message will count for nothing unless we can achieve real peace and encourage genuine goodwill between individual people and the nations of the world.
(1967)
4 Faith & Hope
Golden Jubilee Australian commemorative stamps 2002
Anniversaries are important events in all our lives. Christmas is the anniversary of the birth of Christ over two thousand years ago, but it is much more than that. It is the celebration of the birth of an idea and an ideal. …
I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad. Each day is a new beginning, I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.
Like others of you who draw inspiration from your own faith, I draw strength from the message of hope in the Christian gospel. (2002)
5 Light & Life
Historic Easter Message 2020
As darkness falls on the Saturday before Easter Day, many Christians would normally light candles together. In church, one light would pass to another, spreading slowly and then more rapidly as more candles are lit. It’s a way of showing how the good news of Christ’s resurrection has been passed on from the first Easter by every generation until now.
This year, Easter will be different for many of us, but by keeping apart we keep others safe. But Easter isn’t cancelled; indeed, we need Easter as much as ever. The discovery of the risen Christ on the first Easter Day gave his followers new hope and fresh purpose, and we can all take heart from this. We know that Coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be — particularly for those suffering with grief — light and life are greater. May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future.
I wish everyone of all faiths and denominations a blessed Easter. (2020)
6 Truth & Courage
The first televised Royal Christmas Message, 1957
Twenty-five years ago my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages. Today is another landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day.
I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct.
I believe in our qualities and in our strength, I believe that together we can set an example to the world which will encourage upright people everywhere.
I would like to read you a few lines from ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, because I am sure we can say with Mr Valiant for Truth, these words:
“Though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now will be my rewarder.”
(1957)
7 Love & Kindness
The Queen read part of her Christmas speech in 1989 at the Royal Albert Hall, recorded at a special Save the Children Fund charity.
You’ve all seen pictures of the earth taken from space. Unlike all the other planets in the solar system, earth shimmers green and blue in the sunlight and looks a very pleasant place to live.
The Queen said that technical skills are not enough by themselves. They can only come to the rescue of the planet if we also learn to live by the golden rule which Jesus Christ taught us – “love thy neighbour as thyself”.
Many of you will have heard the story of the Good Samaritan, and of how Christ answered the question (from a clever lawyer who was trying to catch him out) “Who is my neighbour?”
Jesus told of the traveller who was mugged and left injured on the roadside where several important people saw him, and passed by without stopping to help.
His neighbour was the man who did stop, cared for him, and made sure he was being well looked after before he resumed his own journey. (1989)
8 Compassion & Care
Diamond Wedding Anniversary 2007
Now today, of course, marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Among other things, it is a reminder that it is the story of a family; but of a family in very distressed circumstances. Mary and Joseph found no room at the inn; they had to make do in a stable, and the new-born Jesus had to be laid in a manger. This was a family which had been shut out.
Perhaps it was because of this early experience that, throughout his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth reached out and made friends with people whom others ignored or despised. It was in this way that he proclaimed his belief that, in the end, we are all brothers and sisters in one human family. (2007)
9 Forgiveness & Reconciliation
The Queen at the United States of America Bicentennial, 1976
Christmas is a time for reconciliation. A time not only for families and friends to come together but also for differences to be forgotten. …
Reconciliation, like the one that followed the American War of Independence, is the product of reason, tolerance and love, and I think that Christmas is a good time to reflect on it. …
The gift I would most value next year is that reconciliation should be found wherever it is needed. A reconciliation which would bring peace and security to families and neighbours at present suffering and torn apart.
Remember that good spreads outwards and every little does help. Mighty things from small beginnings grow as indeed they grew from the small child of Bethlehem. …
I wish you all a very happy Christmas and may the New Year bring reconciliation between all people. (1976)
10 Respect & Tolerance
Royal Visit to Nigeria, 1956
Once again messages of Christmas greeting have been exchanged around the world.
From all parts of the Commonwealth, and from the remote and lonely spaces of Antarctica, words and thoughts, taking their inspiration from the birth of the child in Bethlehem long ago, have been carried between us upon the invisible wings of twentieth-century science.
Neither the long and troubled centuries that have passed since that child was born, nor the complex scientific developments of our age, have done anything to dim the simple joy and bright hope we all feel when we celebrate his birthday. …
Particularly on this day of the family festival let us remember those who – like the Holy Family before them – have been driven from their homes by war or violence. We call them ‘refugees’: let us give them a true refuge: let us see that for them and their children there is room at the Inn. …
The Queen said that the healing power of tolerance, comradeship and love must be allowed to play its part. …
That each one of us should give this power a chance to do its work is my heartfelt message to you all upon this Christmas Day. I can think of no better resolve to make, nor any better day on which to make it. Let us remember this during our festivities, for it is part of the Christmas message – “Goodwill toward men.” (1956)
GENERAL BLOGS INDEX
BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)
BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)
BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
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