The nature of leadership

Last month we witnessed the first coronation in 70 years. Did you avidly follow every moment of the spectacle, dip in and out whilst spending time with friends and family, or ignore it altogether and simply enjoy an extra bank holiday?

There was certainly plenty of debate in the media around the pomp and ceremony, the money that was lavished on the event during a cost of living crisis, and the role of an hereditary monarchy in 2023. Society is increasingly sceptical of tradition, religion and authority, to the extent that we are each encouraged to pick ‘our own truth’ from the morass of information and viewpoints that swirl around us.

Yet the Abbey service took elements from hundreds of years of liturgy, music, worship and symbolism, drawing on Britain’s deep Christian culture and ethics, and all explained in the accompanying written commentary provided by the Church of England.

And if you paid attention, you would have seen, hidden in plain sight, a remarkable and intentional recommitment of our nation and our rulers to God.

At the heart of the service was the holy anointing of the King, and his oath to govern faithfully with justice and mercy. The oil came from the Mount of Olives and was consecrated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, recognising the ritual’s roots in Samuel’s anointing of Israel’s first kings.

Whatever we think of the monarchy, today’s culture, and even the Church of England, this is surely a moment for Christians to celebrate. For whether the majority of our nation recognises it or not, the coronation ceremony signifies a covenantal prayer to God and a recognition of His ultimate sovereignty over us. It is a plea for Him to protect and look after our nation, whilst our rulers – represented by the King – promise in return to exercise justice, mercy and love, and to rule in the interests of all.

At a time when our nation feels more divided and confused than ever, this is a hugely powerful act. It recognises our ultimate dependence on God for a flourishing society, and points to Jesus as the embodiment of all the qualities that a ruler requires.

For many this may have been lost beneath the pomp and pageantry, the use of the arguably inaccessible King James Bible, and even the role of other faith groups in a Christian service.

But the King’s public pledge is a challenge to all of us who hold authority, whatever our political persuasion or religious affiliation. It reminds us of the true nature of leadership, expressed in Jesus’ example of the Servant King.

We remember, in the words of Romans 13:1, that ‘all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God’.

It should lead us to reflect deeply that leadership is a high calling that brings with it an immense duty to serve, and a recognition that we cannot do this in our own strength.

So I invite you to pray with me – alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury – for King Charles and his government, and for all serving in national and local government, the nation’s Parliaments, and all in public service.

Let us pray, using words from the coronation service, that ‘by the assistance of His heavenly grace (they) may govern and preserve the People committed to (their) charge in wealth, peace, and godliness.’

Tim Farron has been the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005. He is the author of A Mucky Business: Why Christians Should Get Involved in Politics

● As with Conservative MP Danny Kruger’s recent en interview, Christian MPs contribute as believers not party politicians. en does not endorse any one particular party.