5. Hope that isn’t misplaced

The final hymn sung at the Queen’s committal was ‘Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation’, translated from an early Latin hymn by John Mason Neale.

Many of the themes of the previous four hymns are gathered up in this, the final hymn to be sung in the televised services on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

Those who are Christians are part of the community called the Church, and have a hope that lasts into the future. They experience God’s ‘lovingkindness’ as his people, and as dearly-loved individuals as well. They are looking forward to the ‘unending ages’ of the new creation, but in the here and now, they are able to pray to God, and to ask things of Him, as ‘temples’ of his Holy Spirit.

All of these things together spell unity and hope for Christian people across the globe. The Queen, with her extensive knowledge of the world across the decades, must have known that those two things are incredibly difficult to deliver. But they are possible, and only possible, through the king who takes centre stage in this final hymn: Jesus Christ.

Jesus is described in lavish detail in the first verse. He is the ‘sure foundation’, the ‘head’, and the ‘cornerstone’: those are all images used to describe Jesus in the Bible, all of them images of stability and security. He is the ‘Chosen of the Lord’, the anointed Messiah, promised in the Old Testament, and arriving just as planned in the New. He binds all the Church in one: nobody else could manage such a feat, but Jesus has achieved it, through his selfless death on the cross. And he is ‘Holy Zion’s help forever / and her confidence alone.’ Zion stands for God’s people, and God’s people have the very best sort of help – an everlasting champion, in Jesus Christ.

The Queen once said this about Jesus:

“Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher or a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.”

The Queen, in her Christmas Address of 2008

She knew that he was unique: fully man and at the same time fully God, as this hymn declares in wonderfully simple terms. Nobody else would do. Only Jesus could take on the role of Saviour, and die to free us from our sins. He took the hellish curse we deserve, so that we might be those who ‘gain’ wonderfully from God – a place in glory, reigning alongside our king.

Yes, you read that right: Christians are looking forward to reigning with Jesus. We shall most certainly cast our crowns before him, as in ‘Love Divine’. But not before he has invited us to be royalty alongside him. The Queen was born into the Royal Family and was thrust into the role of monarch at a young age; that reign has now ended. Jesus, by contrast, invites all of us to reign with him, alongside him, for ever. That is a privilege that will never be surpassed.

What was the most precious thing on view on the day of the Queen’s funeral? The Imperial State Crown on her coffin sparkled with 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies… but it was not the most precious thing on show. That title belongs to the one named as ‘precious’ in this hymn: the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings, whom Queen Elizabeth served. He offers hope that is not misplaced, because it is focused on him, and he is the only sure foundation in this life.

Do you know him? Then whoever you are, however royal you are, and whatever your circumstances, you have the same hope that the Queen enjoyed. It’s hope that lifts your head, bestows lasting royalty upon you, and enables you to serve the God of the universe for all of your days, and beyond. There’s nothing better.

Where to find it in the Bible: Psalm 118; Ephesians 2