Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip Photo: Ben Murray/Flickr/Creative Commons
For nearly every year since 1932, England’s Royalty has broadcast a Christmas message across Britain on BBC, the government-run TV station. The only year it didn’t happen was in 1969 when BBC instead aired a documentary on England’s royalty
This year, Queen Elizabeth, 89, will be making her annual broadcast which according to an article in The Express will be the clearest expression of her Christian faith since she became Queen in 1952.
In recent years, the Queen has become increasingly vocal about her faith.
The broadcast to be aired on Christmas day is expected to attract millions of viewers. Last year 7.8 million people watched the Queen’s message.
The Queen will backdrop her faith declaration with the “unprecedented” rising persecution of Christians around the world particularly by Muslim extremists in the Middle East where ISIS has targeted believers.
According to The Express, a source within Buckingham Palace said “she [the Queen] is driven by a deep and spirited faith.”
Though to a lesser degree, the Queen has also felt first-hand the threat of Muslim Jihad. In September, the British government announced it used a drone attack in Syria to kill a British-born jihadist, Reyaad Khan, who was leading a group planning to assassinate Queen Elizabeth.
According to reports, the Muslim extremist had initiated a plot to use a pressure cooker bomb at the 70th anniversary memorial (August 15, 2015) marking the defeat of Japan in World War II, which Queen Elizabeth was attending.
The British government used a drone to track down Khan. Then calling it an “act of self-defence,” the British Prime Minister authorized the attack without consulting parliament.
I am encouraged to see the Queen’s faith on full display. She is a light in a growing darkness as she wants to express “optimism” in the midst of “the overall gloom.”
As I watch so many governments even in North America seeming to turn against Christianity, I am struck by the words of Jesus as the same thing happened to Him:
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11 NASV)
Jesus seems to be suggesting the “greater sin” belongs to those using government to persecute Christians, not necessarily the government itself.
Source:
OpentheWord.org 