On a wet Saturday night in early May, I settled down inside the warmth of the lounge room to watch the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. As I said to a number of people who wanted to pin me down, regardless of where one stands on the continuum, this was history in the making and I probably had better viewing than many at Westminster Abbey. Yes, there was the pomp and pageantry that the British do so well, but this was also a more inclusive ceremony in its scope as Charles, acknowledged as leader of the Church of England, also reigns over a multi-faith and secular United Kingdom. This was especially notable when Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister and a practicing Hindu, read from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. 

Herein lay the hope that the new King’s reign will be fruitful in good work.

Charles is the oldest British monarch ever to be crowned, and one hopes that his reign is happy and glorious as the signage all over London proclaimed. But beyond the history and regalia and who was sitting near who and isn’t Princess Charlotte cute, this was a religious service. Here, we were reminded that Charles is the Defender of the Faith and on this occasion it was the Christian faith that was front and centre. What I particularly liked was the aspect of servant leadership acknowledged by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He noted that Charles was anointed, crowned and consecrated for the service of his people.

What we did not see was the anointing which was done behind screens. Here the King’s head, breast and hands were anointed with oil, its symbolism linking back to the biblical story when the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the King of the Israelites. The archbishop spoke the following words after the anointing: Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who by his Father was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, by his holy anointing pour down upon your head and heart the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and prosper the works of your hands: that by the assistance of his heavenly grace you may govern and preserve the peoples committed to your charge in wealth, peace, and godliness; and after a long and glorious course of ruling a temporal kingdom wisely, justly, and religiously, you may at last be made partaker of an eternal kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The centrality of the Holy Spirit as guide is seen in the words above. We have just celebrated  Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit descended on those bereft and bewildered by the loss of Jesus. According to the evangelist Luke, the sound and fury of a great wind was unleashed and strange bright tongues of fire alighted on the apostles as they gathered in an upper room. In this miraculous mayhem, a torrent of understanding astounded them. All comprehended in their native tongues the universal language of the Good News. Here the Holy Spirit entered and energised human history and began to underwrite the faith of all the generations who call Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah.

The Spirit is with us when we are compelled beyond complacency; when we get out of our own way to do something for someone else or to sign on for a cause that matters. The Spirit is that moving force, the insistent whisper, the part of us that cannot say no. It’s the Godly get-up-and-go that moves our lives. It is a push from the Paraclete that enables leaders to serve. They understand that the privilege of leadership is not about power but about the ability to do good things for others, to be fruitful in good work. 

However, service is not simply the preserve of leaders – it is something we can all do. Martin Luther King wrote: You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. The Holy Spirit animates the best in us. When people come together for a good cause there is something holy happening. It is love in action. 

The Spirit is all that is holy and human in us whenever we move beyond the routine and the easy, whenever we break those chains of complacency and comfort, when we realise that our agency can make a real difference in the lives of others. The Spirit is the force-field for good, the compassionate activism, the urge for justice. It is in the small service of turning up and bothering, contributing and participating, being a team player. It is in the bigger service of devoting time and attention to a person or cause. It is seen collectively when we act in solidarity for those who cannot. 

It is seen in the modelling of leaders who care more about service, than status. We will watch with interest as Charles III, as a leader in faith and life, begins his reign.  Galatians 5:25 reminds us that Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  I wish for the new king that he keeps in step with the Spirit, models what it is to be a true servant leader and that his reign has its happy and glorious moments, whilst being attuned and responsive to the reality of the lives of those for whom he rules.

By Ann Rennie