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The following is the monthly letter from the Rector of Cranleigh,
Rev'd Canon Nigel Nicholson, as it appears in the February 2012
edition of St Nicolas Cranleigh Parish Church Magazine:

On the 6th of this month we shall celebrate a remarkable event. In 1952 the much-loved King George VI died tragically after a painful illness. As is recounted in our history books, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Kenya, and the news of her father's demise must have come as a terrible shock. In this one person we saw the emotions of a daughter losing her father and of a mother of two very young children, suddenly thrown into the limelight with the succession from King to Queen. She left this country as a Princess and returned in mourning as Queen.

That was sixty years ago, and she has served this nation and Commonwealth of Nations in a way that is quite astonishing. As we quietly note this date of the Queen's Accession, we are reminded that there is only one other monarch, Queen Victoria, who has served longer. I hope and pray that in four year's time the Queen will become the longest reigning monarch in our country's history.

How does she do it? Queen Victoria saw her family grow around her, which in time embraced the whole Empire, and she also saw the sun of that Empire rise over one third of the entire world. In Queen Elizabeth's reign the Empire has become a Commonwealth of Nations, and the governance and leadership has been handed over to individual countries in an amicable and caring way. Mutual respect and care of each other continues, and it has become like a family, where a mother lets go of her children to develop into what they are meant to be, without losing the love and affection for them.

Throughout the Queen's reign, the idea of monarchy has changed beyond measure, subtly and without major revolution. It has had its ups and downs, in personal tragedies and failings of human nature, but she, in her belief in others, has kept it together in the midst of change. Today, as we come to celebrate this Diamond Jubilee, she and the monarchy stand high in the estimation of many. But there must be something that has enabled her to survive these sixty years, still with a radiant smile that is warm and contagious and transforms many hearts.

Her recent trip to the Republic of Ireland, and her willingness to wear emerald green and to speak some words of Gaelic at the beginning of her speech, express powerfully her understanding of people and her desire to heal the past. In her Christmas message this year, she focussed on family and community, and the message was clearly under-girded by an understanding of forgiveness. She, by her very strong Christian faith, sees in Jesus the importance of forgiveness, in human and national relationships. The love of Jesus, revealed on the Cross, is over-arching, and brings people together with a message of healing rather than destruction. It is the Queen's faith in the power of the Risen Christ to make all things new that has sustained and strengthened her throughout these sixty years.

The joy of our Christian faith is that it is rooted and grounded in a human being, but also has the hallmark of divinity. From the babe born in Bethlehem to the crucified man of Calvary, the birth and death of a human being touches us all. In the role of monarch, the Queen embodies, in her humanity, all that is good about home and family life and national identity. She is not a flag, nor a constitution, nor a set of rules, but a human being, who lives by faith in the God who made her. She strives to live, by public example, the Christian way of life.

Some while ago I visited Syria and Jordan, both countries being formed soon after the end of the First World War. Syria became a political state, and Jordan a monarchy. The difference between these two countries is extraordinary, and I asked our guide why it was, as both nations were formed at the same time. The response was one word - 'Monarchy'. We in this nation, and amongst the Commonwealth of Nations, are extremely blessed to have in Her Majesty someone who sees the innate goodness in people, and that we are all called under God to serve one another.

The collect in the Book of Common Prayer Communion service reads:

Nigel Nicholson