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A Sermon for Queen and Country

On Sunday, July I , I 973, a Service of'Than/csgiving. with HM Queen Elizabeth present, was held in Victoria Park, Charlottetown, to mark Prince Edward Island 's Centennial in Confederation. The preacher was Father Tanton, chosen not because he was the ranking Prince Edward Island Anglican dignitary - that in the view of the Anglican Church was the Bishop of Nova Scotia, because the Bishop of Nova Scotia exercises episcopaljurisdiction over the Island — but because he was the chairman that year ofthe Charlottetown Ministerial Association. An unfortunate incident occurred in the course ofthe Royal Visit when the Bishop of Nova Scotia, the Right Reverend William Davis, with Mrs. Davis, turned up at Government House in Charlottetown to attend aformal dinner in honour of the Queen and Prince Philip, and was refused admittance. In the view of the government authorities he was, as the Bishop ofNova Scotia. from ”away", and therefore not an eligible participant in an Island event.

One hundred years ago today, Prince Edward Island became a part ofthe Dominion of Canada. This was a political move, and because it was and is political there will always be differences of opinion as to the value ofthe move. Let that be as it may - one thing is certain, that something more important than political tactics makes a people great.

Today, at the pivotal point in our Centennial celebrations, we gather with our Queen and Her Royal Consort for an Act of Worship. The Scripture read by His Royal Highness is one of our Lord's dissertations on prayer. It contains the Our Father. This prayer has become the heart ofall Christian prayer life. both public and private.

Our Lord. when asked by His disciples, "teach us to pray”, did not say, "If ye pray", but "When ye pray..." Prayer is as natural to conscious man as breathing, and as universal as humanity itself. In all the living religions ofthe world, prayer and meditation have a central place.

Let us look at three aspects ofthe Lord's prayer - our model prayer - the prayer that acknowledges: (1) Our Father — God is. (2) Give us this day - bread - man's needs. (3) Forgive us our trespasses — man's responsibility.