Last Sunday evening, I set my alarm for 1:55 a.m. so that I could get up to watch the coverage of the queen’s funeral. It seemed like such a great idea, until I was awoken in the middle of a very deep sleep. I almost turned the alarm off and kept resting, but I’m so glad I got out of bed. Even though it was a sad occasion, it was an event I would not have wanted to miss.
Everything was beautiful—the liturgy, the music, the flowers, the fashion (even in mourning, the royals always look fabulous). It was one of those moments, like with the royal weddings in recent years, when I’m especially glad to belong to the Anglican tradition. I don’t think there could have been a better way to celebrate the queen’s life than with these beautiful services—services she planned herself! (This is why I was reminding us all to make our memorial plans ahead of time—what a gift it was, to her family and to the world audience, that the queen planned her own funeral!)
I saw a quote going around social media after the funeral that has stuck with me this week. It said, “Every time some Anglican liturgy breaks through into the popular consciousness and people talk about how beautiful it is, how meaningful, I’m like, ‘Yes, exactly. And it isn’t just for the famous/powerful. These liturgies are for everyone.’”
These liturgies are for everyone. Our tradition has so much to offer. So much so, that even people who think they have little interest in church end up appreciating an Anglican wedding or funeral. We hesitate to invite people to worship because we think we’ll alienate them or embarrass ourselves. But I truly believe we have something incredible to give to people—something they do appreciate, even if they don’t know it yet.
Worldwide, more than 11.4 million people watched the queen’s funeral. There are a lot of people out there right now who have just gotten a glimpse of Anglicanism, perhaps for the first time. That’s a wonderful opportunity for us—a springboard for conversation about church and for invitation into the life of this community.
These liturgies are for everyone. Let’s give thanks for the beauty of our tradition, and let’s invite others to come and appreciate it.
Warmly, Mother Terry+