As we celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, Bishop Simon Burton-Jones, the Bishop of Tonbridge, reflects on the nature of service - a theme that has been particularly focussed upon by The King, with an encouragement for the coronation to be used as an opportunity for people to consider volunteering.
In his reflection, Bishop Simon says that Jesus points out that a leader should be like one who serves.
Read his reflection in full below.
The Nation's Superglue
Every generation tends to think its troubles are deeper than before but this is often not true. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned seventy years ago, the country had been shattered by war. Grief, rubble and poverty disfigured the UK; goods were still rationed. The Soviet Union had become a mortal enemy and was in possession of terrible nuclear weapons. Stalin had just died and few knew where the Cold War would take us.
As her son Charles III is crowned, the nation has related challenges: there is war in Europe again and Russia remains a political foe. People are struggling to make ends meet, sometimes terribly so. And there are new problems: a lethal virus is here to stay; climate change is already devastating some parts of the world.
The nation has changed greatly in the years between the coronations of mother and son. Heavy industry has largely given way to service industry and especially finance. Technology has revolutionised communications, information flows and how we relate one to another. The welfare state, in its infancy in 1953, is now a highly complex system and the NHS hugely expanded as the population ages with its attendant medical needs.
Voice and dignity is given to more people. For diversity to flourish, there need to be things we cohere round too. These used to be the institutions we have created, but many of these are less trusted than they used to be and some are in crisis. In their place, we talk more about British values, though these are often not uniquely British and can be found in other countries, especially democracies. And, of course, there are some who do not want to talk about Britain anymore and others who talk about Britain when they really mean England. Life is confusing, but one thing we are good at is muddling through.
We are also living in an era of strongmen politicians – Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Victor Orban; the list goes much further. But this is not new, either. In responding to the egos around him, Jesus reminded his friends that the political leaders of the time loved to throw their weight around, to build status, privilege and wealth. And he said that a leader should instead be like one who serves.
People who serve us today – setting out food and drink, cleaning washrooms, checking tickets, changing incontinence pads – go about their business largely unnoticed. In fact, if they are noticed, it often means they have failed in their job. The kind of person Jesus held up for praise isn’t the one who always has to draw attention to themselves. They are quick to listen and slow to speak and go about their lives in an unheralded, quiet, reliable way.
Monday 8 May has been designated by King Charles as a day both to celebrate and inspire volunteering in the UK. Volunteering is the purest form of service because it offers itself without expecting any return. But those who volunteer also know it is one of the most rewarding of human acts, because money is taken out of the equation and a different incentive is at work.
It is easy to idealise service, when those who offer it often do so at times of the day when they are dog tired and would rather be curled up on the sofa in front of Netflix like others. But the willingness of people to volunteer is the truest sign of the strength of a nation and the superglue that holds us together.
Bishop Simon Burton-Jones
Bishop of Tonbridge
May 2023