The funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Synod held one minute’s silence and has prayed for the Royal Family as churches across Sydney prepare for Sunday services in the leadup to the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday night (Sydney time).

A prayer of thanksgiving

Eternal God, our heavenly Father, we bless your holy name for all that you have given us in and through the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth.
We give you thanks: for her love of family and her gift of friendship; for her devotion to this nation and the nations of the Commonwealth; for her grace, dignity and courtesy; and for her generosity and love of life.
We praise you for: the courage that she showed in testing times; the depth of her Christian faith; and the witness she bore to it in word and deed.
Accept our thanks and praise, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A prayer for those who mourn

Father of all mercies and God of all consolation, you pursue us with untiring love and dispel the shadow of death with the bright dawn of life. Give courage to the Royal Family in their loss and sorrow. Be their refuge and strength, O Lord; reassure them of your continuing love and lift them from the depths of grief into the peace and light of your presence.

Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying has destroyed our death, and by rising, restored our life.
Your Holy Spirit, our comforter, speaks for us in groans too deep for words.
Come alongside your people, remind them of your eternal presence and give them your comfort and strength. Amen.

A prayer for the new King

Lord God, you provide for your people by your power and rule over them in love:
Grant to your servant our King, Charles III, the Spirit of wisdom and discernment, that being devoted to you with his whole heart, he may so wisely govern, that in his time we may live in safety and in peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Adapted from the Coronation Service 1953 (pdf here)

Official Memorial service

A New South Wales Provincial memorial service for Her Majesty will be held at 11am on Wednesday 21 September, at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, in the presence of the Governor of NSW, the Hon. Margaret Beazley AC KC, and state, federal and Commonwealth dignitaries, and other Faith leaders.

Kanishka Raffel, Archbishop of Sydney, Metropolitan of NSW will preach, and the service will be led by the Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant.

The service will be live-streamed here.

The Cathedral is also open for the signing of Condolence books and on the night of the Royal Funeral there will be a Community Live-site to watch the funeral at the Cathedral from 7.15 pm, preceded by Choral Evensong suitable at 5:15 pm. There will be a muffled peal of bells followed by prayers at 7:45 pm. The Funeral will commence at 8pm AEST.