Mourning a Queen, welcoming a King
Hymn suggestions on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
The Revd Dominic Grant has written the following hymn, which may prove valuable over the coming days and weeks.
We stand to mourn a sovereign
We stand to mourn a sovereign,
a nation's guide and friend,
who through long years of tumult
was faithful to the end.
We offer our thanksgiving
for all that she instilled:
her constancy of service,
her lifetime's vow fulfilled.
Now from our world departed -
though never from our hearts -
receive her in the peace, Lord,
your love alone imparts.
And as we mark a passing
of sceptre, orb, and throne,
we'll find in her compassion
a pattern for our own:
that all who stand in mourning,
or languish now in fear,
may know again your promise
to wipe away each tear.
With her we'll join in witness,
Christ's mercies our refrain:
great Sovereign of the nations,
eternal is your reign!
Words: © Dominic Grant, 9 September 2022.
Tune: Thaxted (“I vow to thee, my country”) (StF 606)
The Revd Andrew Pratt has also revised the hymn he wrote to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It can be found on his blog page, hymnsandbooks:
A hymn on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, 8 September 2022 (“Once a woman heard a message”)
Other hymns in Singing the Faith
- It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand (StF 705) – an evergreen hymn written for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, it also proved ideal for marking her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year. With its particular note of thankfulness and admiration (v.3), it comes into its own once again as we mark the death of Her Majesty and her funeral in September 2022:
When a thankful nation, looking back, has cause to celebrate
those who win our admiration by their service to the state;
when self-giving is a measure of the greatness of the great:
may the living God be praised!
- All people that on earth do dwell (StF 1) –said to be a favourite hymn of Queen Elizabeth herself
- For all the saints, who shared your love (StF 746) – John Bell and Graham Maule sing of saints in a broad sense; of those who “saw your kingdom coming still through selfless protest, prayer and praise”
- Come, let us anew our journey pursue (StF 460) – alludes to our mortality (v.3) and speaks of finishing “the work that you gave me to do” (v.5). It concludes by focusing on the throne of God
- Let him to whom we now belong (StF 557) – with its echoes of the Methodist covenant service, Charles Wesley’s hymn may be taken as a reflection of what we believe to have been the Queen’s own sentiments
As we transition into a new reign, of King Charles III, consider also two hymns by Timothy Dudley-Smith: