{"id":31789,"date":"2023-05-05T17:42:30","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T16:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=31789"},"modified":"2025-07-10T09:18:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T08:18:04","slug":"coronation-order-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/coronation-order-of-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronation Order of Service Analysed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The Coronation Chair containing the Stone of Scone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Archbishop of Canterbury has at last published the Order of Service for the Coronation of King Charles III. The coronation will take place tomorrow, Saturday 6th May 2023.<\/p>\n

We shall be holding our monthly prayer meeting at Canning Road, West Ham, London E15 3ND, from 10.30aqm to 12.30pm. Find full details HERE<\/strong><\/a>. Come if you can, but best bring an umbrella.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, you may be watching the Coronation on TV. If so, I hope this very brief article will bless you and inspire you to pray and proclaim \u2018the lively oracles of God\u2019.<\/p>\n

How does it compare?<\/h2>\n

So how does the service compare to the Order of Service, one month short of seventy years ago, for her late majesty, Queen Elizabeth II? In what particulars is it the same? And where does it differ?<\/p>\n

Last month Christian Voice published a Coronation Special newsletter. We went through the 1953 Order of Service. In particular we set out the form of the Coronation Oath and carried out a Biblical exposition of the four main scriptures.<\/p>\n

You will find links to the 2023 Order of Service and a downloadable PDF of our Coronation Special Newsletter below to compare for yourself. (All links open on a laptop in a new tab.)<\/p>\n

2023 Order of Service \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

Coronation Special Newsletter \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

Support Christian Voice \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the same?<\/h2>\n

The presentation and acceptance of the monarch remains. It will however be repeated four times. The Moderator of the Church of Scotland will present the Bible to the king. His prayer is unchanged: \u2018Sir: to keep you ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.<\/p>\n

The Coronation Oath remains the same. That is because it is set in statute law. It will be introduced by the Archbishop. His spin will be that it is rather more to do with the Church and freedom of religion than affairs of state. However, in case anyone is tempted to meddle with it, he will say it has \u2018stood for centuries\u2019 and is \u2018enshrined in law\u2019.<\/p>\n

The most holy part of the service, the anointing of the king to rule under God, remains.<\/p>\n

The prayer as the king receives the sword is still based on Rom. 13:1-7. The king will still receive the regalia.<\/p>\n

What has changed?<\/h2>\n

You will see a different form of words on the presentation of the Orb, but one which still declares Christ rules over all earthly dominions. Why the change? Answers please in the comments below!<\/p>\n

The readings from Scripture are different. In 1953 we heard 1Pet. 2:13-17 as the Epistle and Matt 22:15-22 as the Gospel. Remember the service is an Anglican communion rite.<\/p>\n

The I Peter text urges submission to the governing authorities and liberty under the law. The Matthew text places the earthly governments of \u2018Caesar\u2019 firmly under God.<\/p>\n

In 2023 for the Anglican Epistle reading we have Colossians 1:9-17. The Authorised or King James version will be used. Rishi Sunak is due to read it. The Gospel is Luke 4:16-21. There is a \u2018sung Alleluia\u2019 either side of the Gospel, from Psalm 47:1-2 & Psalm 47:6-7.<\/p>\n

The Colossians reading concludes by stating that creation was founded by and is sustained by Christ Jesus. It includes: \u2018thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, \u00a0 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Luke reading is the account of our Lord in the synagogue in Nazareth. In it, the Lord proclaimed himself as Messiah. We shall see what the Archbishop will make of it when he gives his sermon.<\/p>\n

Prayers of blessing<\/h2>\n

The king wanted leaders of non-Christian faiths to be involved in the service. That will not happen. People of other faiths will present him with regalia. \u2018Faith leaders\u2019 will process in and take their seats. Neither carries the same spiritual significance as participation in the liturgy, in my view. Some may take exception to our Hindu Prime Minister reading the Epistle, but all sorts reading the Bible is allowed under Canon Law.<\/p>\n

A departure from 1953, perhaps the only possible nod to the king\u2019s request, is the leaders of two of the UK\u2019s non-Protestant denominations giving prayers of blessing. They will be the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Thyateira & Great Britain.<\/p>\n

Charles wanted to be \u2018defender of faith\u2019. But the Archbishop in his promise of homage will address him firmly as \u2018Defender of the Faith\u2019, that title bestowed on King Henry VIII by the pope of his time.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the king will declare himself \u2018solemnly and sincerely in the presence of God\u2019 … \u2018that I am a faithful Protestant, and that I will, according to the true intent of the enactments which secure the Protestant succession to the Throne, uphold and maintain the said enactments to the best of my powers according to law.\u2019<\/p>\n

Make of that what you will, but remember in the comments below to be generous and to call no man a liar<\/u>.<\/p>\n

Prayers<\/h2>\n

The Coronation Ritual is the most solemn and rare moment of our national life. Pray this United Kingdom will remain a nation under God. May he use the Coronation to bring many to faith in our risen, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus, and to revive us as a Christian nation again.<\/p>\n

Read our previous article on why publication of the Order of Service was delayed :<\/p>\n

Coronation Service in disarray \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

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the Coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023. What will remain the same from 1953 and what change? We give a very brief analysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,184],"tags":[806],"class_list":["post-31789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice-policing-crime","category-uk-christian-constitution","tag-coronation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t