PRE-CORONATION SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 191, 10 May 1937, Page 10

PRE-CORONATION SERVICES

Wellington Churches SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CEREMONY The King’s Dedication to High Calling Special pre-corouation services were held yesterday in most of the Wellington city churches. The addresses, tor the most part, were directed to explaining the significance of the coronation ceremony, and to exhorting the people not to let the King “go alone to his hallowing” on Wednesday, but in a spirit of loyal and humble service to accompany him thereto. Frequent and approving reference was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s recall to religion. The fine Christian principles of the King and Queen were stressed, and gratitude expressed at His Majesty’s pronouncement that he intended to follow in the footsteps of his father, the late King George V. WHAT CORONATION MEANS Bishop Holland Speaks of Its Significance Taking for his text that part of the rubric which referred to the hallowing the King, his Grace, the Bishop of M eilington, preaching in St. Peter s Anglican Church, yesterday morning, said ae was thankful for the use of that word •hallowing” that had come down from the Ximlo-Saxon times one thousand years ago. It suggested that the ceremny of the Coronation in Westminster Abbey, with all its magnificent pageantry, was sacred in the deepest meaning of the word. It was a reminder to the one who was crowned that he was eet apart, consecrated. in the sight and presence ot God for his high office —the most tremendous position on earth. . At the Corouatin the King and his Consort would, in humbleness and humility, seek from God the power winch. alone could fit them for their great calling -a calling which culd only end witli their deatli. . -On Wednesday our King will go to his hallowing. Me will not go alone. Through one of the priceless gifts ot modern science, scores and .probably hundreds of millions of his subjects will enter with him into the great and sacred experience in Westminster Abbey,, and in iso doing will bear witness to God. As a nation we recognise the claim and acknowledge the rule of God over the great Empire over which His Majesty is called to rule. , "The King to-day is the representative of his people. He no longer, as nee his forebears did, controls. their destiny; he no Inger forces his will upon them. Bather, to-day, through him and those who hold office under him, the will pt tlie people is expressed and made effective in the nation’s life. And thank God, it is* still tlie will of the people of this Empire that their representative, the symbol o. their race aud of their unity throughout the world, should receive his mandate directly from the hand of God, and be reminded that he can only serve his peopie well if he recognises himself as the servant of the King of Kings.’ In the evening Bishop Holland preached at St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral, on the meaning of the coronation service. A tremendous call, he said, had come to King'George VI and his consort, a call to a staggoring responsibility. The Crown was no light bauble to be accepted with light-hearted gaiety. Were it not for the grace of God it 'would be a crushing weight. But the man who wore the Crown was in very truth the link that bound together the nations of the Commonwealth. On the quality and strength of that link the well-being.of the Empire and its people very definitely and very remarkably depended. Underneath the magnificent robes ot cloth of gold and ermine and velvet which the King would wear on his Coronation was a simple human personality. The dedication of a human personality; was that all that next Wednesday is going to be? It was more than that. The King became in very truth the representation of his people in a truly national dedication to God’s service. That was tlie purpose of this ceremony. He pleaded with the congregation to make their dedication of themselves very real that night. It might be that the future of civilisation, he said, depended upon the choice the British Empire made that day. He exhorted the people to go to the hallowing in spirit with the King at the Coronation. “THEIR TREMENDOUS TASK” Wesley Church, Taranaki Street In spite of the boisterous weather large congregations gathered at Wesley Church, Taranaki Street, for the special coronation services. The Rev. Percy Paris preached at both services. The morning anthem was Watkin’s “The King Shall Reign.” In the evening Miss Joy Sutherland sang Elgar’s “Land of Hope and Glory,” and the anthem was Gaines’s "The Lord is My Shepherd.” At the morning service Mr. Paris preached on “The Crowning of the King," taking as his text Psalm xxi :I—“The King shall rejoice in Thy .Strength, O Lord.” He gave an address to the children on “The Crown Jewels.” In the evening the subject was, “The Hallowing of the King, based on 1 Kings 1:30:— "And Zadok tlie priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew title trumpet; and all the people said, God Save King Solomon.” In both addresses the preacher showed the religious nature of the coronation service, and its spiritual significance. lie emphasised the fact of the King and Queen thus consecrating themselves to their tremendous task and service, and urged all in the same spirit to accompany the King to his hallowing; and as his subjects to the service of God aud His Kingdom. Morning and even ing I lie preacher i-losi-d his sermons by reading John Masefield, the Poet Laureate's, poem, “A Prayer for the King’s Reign.” Special prayers were offered for the King and Queen, the Empire, Peace, and the Church; and following the Bendiction tlie National Anthem was sung. A CALL TO RELIGION “For their sakes, I consecrate myself.” Using these words as a text, the Rev. W. Gilmours, of Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church, said that it was impossible for the Empire not to feel interested in its Sovereign. They were so happy for such a monarch whose character and actions had so endeared him to tlie hearts of his people. The Queen, also, had set a noble example by doing all that she could to promote the advancement of that which was good and noble and sweet and true. The Christian Church throughout tlie world had honoured motherhood as sacred, and the Christian message appealed most profoundly to tlie very heart of nil true mothers, who in motherhood, thought of infinite things, secretly in their hearts. In his address to his people on New

Year’s Evo, the King, using the words spoken by his father on his silver jubilee, said, “My wife and 1 dedicate ourselves for all time to your service, and we pray that God may give us guidance and strength to follow tlie path that lies before us.” Now, both tlie King and Queen had asked us to join with them as individuals, and as an Einpire, in dedicating our lives to the King of Kings whose rule was peace. As a nation we had fallen far short of the standards which Christ had set, and there couU’ be no better occasion than the present for acknowledging our national sins, aud repenting where we had gone astray. “To-day the Church summons tlie people of "the world to return to God. and pot only accept, but practice, the religion of Jesus Christ, witli its teachings of salvation, brotherhood, goodwill and peace. When God rules supreme in Parliaments, in tlie League ol Nations, in the making of treaties, in business, in the workshop, in the street, and in tlie home, in work as well as play, then shall a new Heaven and a new earth be created iu which righteousness shall dwell. "It may prove that this shall be a year of great spiritual blessing.” said Mr. Gilmour in.closing. “Let ns bobe that our King and Queen are not alone iu their consecration. and dedication to their new and responsible task, but that we join them in a return of the nation and Empire to God. If God is for us. lie is greater than all who can be against us. With that assurance, we have nothing to. fear but ourselves.”

SECURITY OF THE THRONE

For his pre-Coronation address at. tlie Vivian Street Baptist Church last night, the Rev. L. J. Boulton Smith took for his text "the words in First Samuel, chapter 16. verse 24: “And Samuel said to all the people, ‘See ye him whom the Lord lias chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?’ And all the people shouted, and said, ’God Save the King.’ ” . Tlie Coronation was a deeply religious service, and they must not allow the pageantry to hide its inmost meaning. The service should be something in the nature of a grand sacrament —a dedication to God and to the Empire. There was a threefold interest in the Coronation —historical, practical, and spiritual. Elaborating the historical interest the speaker traced the history of Westminster Abbey as the national shrine where were buried kings and queens, and many of those who had served tlie country in many walks of life. There, could be realised tlie truth of Edmund Burke’s words that “Life is a partnership of the living and tlie dead.” Mr. Smith pointed out tlie symbolical meaning of the ancient ceremony of aiioiptiiig the King with oil. and the crowning, and described the significance of the various parts of the regalia. Only those void of imagination, he said, would dare Io call tlie ceremony nil empty pageantry. If should be looked upon ns a solemn tiling. Tlie Coronation had a practical interest, for it served to show the strength of lite bonds of Empire and the loyalty of tlie people to tlie Throne. To-day, when everything was being challenged, when things 'thought to be most secure, were, on examination, shown to be tottering, the British Throne was standing unshaken.

Dealing with the spiritual aspect, the preacher referred to the King's fine character, his interest in his people, and his announced intention of following in his father's footsteps. Queen Elizabeth, tod, had earned the love of the British people with her sincerity and her family life. It was well that there was at tlie heart of the nation a good family.

GUIDANCE IN JUDGMENT

Special services of prayer and dedication were held in St. John’s Church yesterday. The congregation stood while the choir rendered the "Coronation Ode” (Healy Willan). and at the conclusion of the service Mr. W. L. Ilaggitt played the “Coronation March” (Meyerbeer). Breaching on the text “Give the King Thy judgments, O God” (Psalm 72:1), the Rev. J. R. Blanchard said: "These words open an ancient prayer that God would confer upon the King the gifts needed for his office. It is a prayer which the King and Queen would have us offer to-day; for they realise that they enter upon a life’s work in which human judgment needs the guidance and reinforcement of God’s judgment. It is a heavy burden for hint and for her who shares his burdens. Earnestly ought we therefore to pray, as they do in their own hearts, that God will give them the strength and guidance of His judgments.

“The forthcoming Coronation will have a significance such as no Coronation has ever known. The formal ties binding the Empire together have been loosened, and the various Dominions have acquired the status of free and independent nations. The bond which now binds them together operates in the King’s Sovereignty and in that alone. For the first time in our history, the King must be crowned in the presence of tlie representatives of the Dominions; and upon him will rest the solemn burihjji of standing alone as tiic ruler of each one of his far-flung domains. “The-Coronation is a great pageant; but it is more. It is essentially a religious service. All its ceremonies are set within the framework of the service of Holy Communion. It abounds in regalia. every piece of which is a symbol of Christian virtues. Jt vill have religious reality for both the King and the Queen, and will find a response in their hearts. Their Coronation will mean to them a personal dedication of life and gifts and opportunities to God. Their people nnist not let them go alone to their hallowing. A dedicated King requires a dedicated people, for they who are not dedicated cannot truly follow and give full support to one who is. In a common allegiance to God, King and people will go on from strength to strength and from glory to glory.”

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Taking for his text- a verse from Hebrews: “But into the second tabernacle went the High Priest alone, once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people,” the Rev. Arthur Muriel, preaching in the Cambridge Terrace Congregational Churcslt, spoke on the significance of the Coronation.

Tlie Day of Atonement. when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, the Inner Shrine of the Tabernacle, to carry out those things meant for the propitiation of himself and his people to God. was u daj’ sacred to the Jewish people. The High Priest hud to go into the Temple alone. Nobody was allowed to accompany him. He went in a lonely man. But lie also went in as a represenlafive man, for hr went in to make atonement both for himself and for all the people. The Corona I ion of King George VI was in striking contrast to this. It was not as a lonely man that the King went tn Westminster. Mr. Muriel quoted the Archbishop of Canterbury's words in his recall to religion:— “Blit: let him not Come alone Io his hallowing, For yon see,” lie continued, “our idea of kingship harks hack to that Patriarchal period when the King was neither despot nor dictator, but was a father to the family and a representative of the race. And in the British Commonwealth of Nations, the 'Throne is the indissoluble tie binding the Empire together. Jt is the bond of brotherhood, Hie linking of kith and kin. And so His Majesty reigns in a representative capacity. the chosen of his brethren, tlie elect of all tlie people. Seeing this is so, let him not come alone to his hallowing; for the burden that he bears is too heavy for human shoulders to bear alone.” In conclusion Mr. Muriel echoed the sentiments of the Archbishop of Canterbury that the coronation of King George VI might marl; not only the beginning of a new reign, but the beginning of a new return of the nation to God, a new loyalty as to tlie King, so also to the King of Kings.

ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH

Services in connection with the approaching Coronation were held yesterday both morning and evening in St. Andrew's Church. The minister, the Rev. Brian Kilroy, at both services preached sermons appropriate to the occasion. Suitable psalms and hymns were sung, while in the evening the choir rendered as an anthem “Coronation Ode.”

Mr. Kilroy’s subject in tlie morning was “Our Great Inheritance,” and he took for his text Zech, xiv, 8, “And it shall be in that day that living waters shall come from Jerusalem: half of them toward the east and half of them toward the west.” That, he said, was an adaptation of the older prophecy of Ezekiel where was pictured a stream of life-giv-ing waters flowing from beside the altar and bringing healing and fertility to the land of Judah. The later prophet develops the thought of his predecessor into that of a life-giving stream flowing from Judea east and west to the benefit of all nations. This picture we might apply to our own Einpire and seek its inspiration in these days of Coronation. “To-day the Empire stands in the midst of a world that is sorely tried—a world where .old standards have been shattered, and where new despotisms have been appearing,” he continued. “«2n one occasion William Pitt said that ‘England has saved herself by her exertions, and she may yet save Europe by her example.’ May it be that in these days of stress and. strain wc shall be able to say: ‘England has saved herself by her exertions; she may yet save tlie world by her example.’

“That will be so when we realise that the fructifying river has its ultimate source from beside the altar. If the democracy represented by the free iieoples of our Empire is to be a boon to mankind it must be a democracj' inspired by moral principles; it must lie the expression of the mind of a God-fearing people.

“It is because we believe in our new King and Queen we have an example of such personal piety and public devotion that we look forward with confidence.

In the evening Mr. Kilroy took as his subject “The Royalty of Service,” basing his remarks on Job, 29-25: “I dwelt as a king in the army, as one that coniforteth the mourners.”