Looking Back: Elizabeth II Receives Honours of Scotland

From July 1953

Scotland Renews Her Youth

The National Service – St Giles, 24th June 1953

THEY BRING……”THE HONOUR OF THE NATION INTO IT.”

The young, newly crowned Queen requesting that there should be this service for Scotland’s sake, as she had requested that each one of us would pray for her on her day of Coronation… the Honours of Scotland, rescued from being museum pieces to be laid on the Holy Table in St Giles’ as a living, present symbol of nationhood – that mark of sincerity for the future, that mark of homage for what has been given us from the past, seemed on this day to renew much that has grown old and to give Scotland a unity in her new striving.

The spiritual conception of monarchy, increasing as its other forms of authority have had to suffer a willing decrease, has taken clearer shape in our minds in recent months; but it was not perhaps related to our Scottish nationhood for many of us until this June day.

Had our first Scottish Elizabeth, by her youth and spontaneity, once again created something which neither she nor we could possibly have anticipated – a new beginning for Scotland under the roof of God’s House, youth calling to youth in her presence as Scotland’s Queen, representative in herself of the generation which has come to manhood and womanhood since the second world war, as well as of the ancient Celtic kingship in direct descent? Is this what the spiritual concept of monarchy is to imply for us in Scotland -  a renewed youth; a coming together of diverse and too often disputing elements, all seeking a better future for Scotland; unity of purpose discovered in a person too slight, it would seem, to bear such weight of significance? For Scotland today the monarchy must have its own Scottish meaning as well as its Commonwealth meaning – just for each country of the Commonwealth there is unique meaning, and the meaning held in common. The young Queen can indeed draw to herself what will be more readily laid at the “altar of God” if it is first embodied in a person: a devotion to this ancient land which might become a new fire to burn up what is unworthy, and a new passion to make it a land dedicated to the service of God and man, as she is; a renewal of our calling to make this land glorious by its stubborn tenacity to the Word of God and its fearlessness in overthrowing every sort of tyranny; a new resolution to “build the old wastes” of our derelict lands and to “repair the desolations of many generations.”

-        Extract from a longer piece by J.W.S.

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