Happy Reformation Day and Autumn and Pentecost Greetings!
Queen Elizabeth II Reflections: I apologize, that this blog post is a little late, but I am, sadly, two to three years behind in all of my OIL Press work thanks to the Corona Virus and me getting hacked on Facebook. I write these words with a heavy and groaning heart. Queen Elizabeth II has died at 96 and she is in Heaven. I am happy, that she is in Heaven with her beloved Prince Phillip and all of the other great Christian Saints like the Holy Apostles, St. Patrick, and Martin Luther, but her death has left a major void for me personally. As an Irish Lutheran, I am an Irish Protestant, so I am loyal to the British Crown and to Queen Elizabeth II personally. When King Henry VIII broke away from The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to found The Church of England aka Anglicanism, he created a special religious role for the British Monarchy, which was never there before. The British Monarchy became the British Equivalent to the Old Testament Kings of Ancient Israel and the British Papacy.
Granted technically, we do not have a Papacy in Lutheranism, but that does not change the fact, that as an Irish Protestant I must be loyal to the Holy Trinity, Who are Yahweh, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, to the British Monarchy, and to my local congregation. This is a cultural thing. As Irish Protestants and English Protestants, we do not believe, that Queen Elizabeth II or her son King Charles III are infallible, however, the British Monarchs serve us Irish Protestants and English Protestants as spiritual leaders. Queen Elizabeth II was a sweet and humble lady throughout her life and we are grateful for the pious Christian Life, which she lived. Some of the doctrines for Anglicans are different, than they are for us Lutherans, but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. During the Reformation, Anglicans looked to Martin Luther and other Lutheran theologians for their great spiritual insights. Anglicans are officially Reformed-Lutherans on paper, but there are basically four main types of Anglicans: 1. Anglicans with Lutheran Theology, 2. Anglicans with Catholic Theology aka Anglo-Catholics, 3. Reformed Anglicans, and 4. Anglicans with some Lutheran Theology, some Reformed Theology, and some Catholic Theology. To be a Reformed-Lutheran is to believe, teach, and confess some Lutheran Theology and some Reformed-Theology.
Regardless of the differences on Holy Communion and a few other things, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics are all brothers and sisters in Christ, because Jesus died to save us from our sins, we all confess the Holy Trinity to be the One True and Holy God, and we have all experienced the waters of Holy Baptism uniting with the Word of God to bring us Salvation and all of the Blessings, which come to us in this Baptismal Life. In honor of Queen Elizabeth II's humble life, I thought, it would be appropriate to read the Magnificat once again.
Let us read St. Luke's Gospel Chapter 1:46-55:
"1:46 And Mary said, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For He, That is Mighty, hath done to me great things; and Holy is His Name. 50 And His Mercy is on them, that fear Him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed (shown) strength with His Arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. 54 He hath helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His Mercy; 55 As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever'" (KJV 1611).