It has been a momentous week in the UK as the media has set aside our worries over rapidly increasing prices and possible gas and electricity shortages, instead giving blanket coverage of the Queen's life, death and funeral arrangements.  After such a long reign, although most of us will have had no direct dealings with her, it was inevitable that everyone would feel some impact, whether large or small.

The last very long reign was that of Queen Victoria, who presided over the growth of an empire and who established the 'mystery' around the monarch that has stayed with us since.  Before Victoria, it is evident from the press and cartoons that the monarch of the day was seen as fair game for praise, criticism or outright mockery.  After Victoria, and particularly during and following the long period of mourning that she began after her husband had died, the monarch became largely untouchable, although nowhere near as revered as, say, the Japanese emperor in his country.  In an age when the gap between rich and poor, between the powerful and the powerless, became very public and stark, it can seem hard to believe that the person seen as representing wealth and power was so respected but that era is still looked on proudly by people whose ancestors at the time were almost probably living in near destitution whilst others built mansions with their industrial wealth.

When we turn to the Bible, the need to speak of those in power is seen time and again.  From the early books of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, right through to the Letters at the end of the New Testament, the writers advise or instruct their readers how to deal with rulers.

It is a strange thing that so often the Bible readings for that day have something direct to say about our current moment, not just our era but that particular week.  Let's look at two for this week:

1 Timothy 2.1-7, where Paul, writing to what seems to be his favourite trainee, Timothy, says,

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time."

In a world where an Emperor had ultimate power over everyone in a vast area, Paul made it clear that the new Christians should pray and offer thanks for their highest earthly leaders.  He was also clear that he was not asking for this because of some divine or hereditary right of those leaders; no, he was asking for it because everyone else should be able to lead a quiet, peaceful life, behaving as good people and enjoying human dignity.  It was a practical request, not out of subservience.

The other reading is from Amos, a fiery Old Testament prophet who was never above telling those with power and wealth how they should behave and highlighting their failures to them.  In Amos 8.4.-7, he says, 

"Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, ‘When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practise deceit with false balances,
buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds."

 I read this with a little astonishment.  Here we are being hit by huge price rises, including from organisations that are seeing negligible cost increases (e.g. energy producers but there are many others that you could name).  We are also being told that we can all have our energy bills held down for a while, not by stopping the excessive profits of the producers but by paying for those profits with borrowed money that every ordinary person, including the poorest, will have to pay back for years.  The only reason that is not being publicised is that we have been put on hold for a couple of weeks because of the death and funeral of the Queen.  Is this not what Amos was talking about?

Each of these readings ends with important statements for those with faith (and in Amos's time that meant everyone; in Paul's time he was speaking to the faithful Christians).  Amos, from the Old Testament, tells those exploiting others that God is vengeful and will not forget their evil.  Paul, with Jesus's message of peace and his Good News of God's forgiveness for those that repent, takes a different direction.  Paul tells us that Jesus came to us to offer salvation to everyone who repented and followed Him.  That had to include evil rulers, the exploiters of the poor, the abusers, the criminals, everyone.  Therefore, it was fine to pray for rulers or those in high authority to become better and to behave correctly, to love their neighbours and provide for the weak and the poor.  Jesus wanted those offenders to repent, to turn away from their evil ways and to turn to God.  They could be saved if they would only do this.  In today's terms, Paul could have been asking Christians to pray that the boards and owners of energy companies would decide that they would only keep their historic profit levels and not gouge their customers.  He could have been asking that leaders would decide to tax such excessive profits to help the poor and those without power.  He could not know that such prayers would be answered with action but he believed that Jesus would be the link who would enable everyone to be changed and saved.  He could have been asking that we pray that those who begin and continue wars that wreck the lives of millions, including the starving poor waiting for grain to keep them alive, should change their ways and turn to peace and reconciliation.

Everyone reading the words of Amos and Paul will have their own interpretation, but those two spoke, from their faith, of a better world for everyone, founded on mutual love and respect.  Can we not pray for the same in these days?  Amen.