During a church service celebrating the Diamond Jubilee anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II, attendees were reminded that all people are called to serve, and that in order for this service to reach its full potential, they have to let go, and throw themselves into the arms of God. This means that all people must yield to God.
On the second Sunday of Lent at Morning Prayer, at Christ Church Cathedral, attended by Prince Harry of Wales, Anglican Bishop Laish Boyd encouraged people not to think only in terms of themselves, but in terms of God and what they can be through God.
"Like a child standing on the side of a pool whose parent stands in the pool and says jump, and because that child trusts mom and dad, he will jump into those arms that they trust and can rely on. Paul's verse challenges us not to think only in terms of ourselves, but in terms of God and what we can be through God. Yield yourselves unto God as people who have been brought from death into life," said Bishop Boyd.
He encouraged people to not let their baser nature and baser elements of sin and death control them. As the reality of human frailty means that all people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that they have a shallow side, can be negative, and have a tendency to gravitate towards what is bad.
But the head of the Anglican Diocese in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands said that everyone has a certain amount of power and influence over others and that they need to use that power to do what is right, and produce the right actions that benefit the home, the family, the work place, the school, the community, the country and the world.
But it's something he said that isn't always easy to do because there is a war going on inside of people. He said it's a struggle to determine what is right, and that people then struggle to do what is right. Despite the reality, he encouraged people to press on and never give up, asking God to help them.
Bishop Boyd also reminded people that they have choices they can make, even though they may be bombarded from every side.
"The challenge is always to make the best choice, the right choice in big decisions and in small. Service is one such choice," he said. "Service is choosing willingly, and doing what we are called to do. It is sometimes easy for us human beings to make a commitment to serve at home in school, in the community for government and for country. Committing is one thing, but the real test, the real necessity is the execution of that commitment, the carrying out of that duty every day, every week, every month, every year, in good weather, in bad weather , whether I feel like it, or whether I don't feel like it, that is the challenge," he said.
As Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years of service, Bishop Boyd said the full impact of service could not be seen in one week or even in one year. He said it was not measured simply by the struggle that people have today, or the failure that they have tomorrow, or the falling down that happens next week. He said the full impact of service is measured by people's faithfulness, their perseverance. There dedication to the daily routine, to the weekly drudgery, to the trivial round of the common task. It is for this reason he said that the example of Queen Elizabeth II is valued.
"She has been diligent, faithful, unswerving, steadfast and sure in the execution of her duties and her availability to all who must call upon her. As monarch, she represents in so many ways, the image of leadership, stability, continuity, a link with the past and our heritage, [and] a link with the present and the life we now live, and a link with the future," he said.
Bishop Boyd said the monarchy is also a reminder of the foundations of the country's form of government. And that heads of state and national leaders carry tremendous responsibility.
"We joke about how leaders begin to look older, and how they turn gray quickly, but leaders carry tremendous responsibility. By virtue of holding the office and being the officer, a leader has already done a day's work, even before that leader goes to his or her desk or attends the first appointment of the day. We therefore have to hold up and pray for and encourage our leaders, and we thank God for the queen's model of service to the Commonwealth and to the world, and for all that she has represented," he said.
The Anglican chief said that oftentimes people take for granted the elements and characteristics of Bahamian society and its government. He said in most instances they forget that what they enjoy is a result of history, traditions and institutions like the monarchy, Parliament, senate, religion and government.
"Like Her Majesty, there are so many other leaders who serve in our two countries and the world who give of themselves, more than just the value of a day's wages. These persons give because they love God, because they love life and because they love what they do - because they want to serve, because they want to make a contribution. They accept the calling to which they have been called, and accept at this time, that there is a particular necessity laid upon them to play a specific role. Some leaders if they have the opportunity would choose a different lot, but they serve anyhow because they have no choice but to answer yes to God, yes to country, yes to school, to family, to community. Leaders answer yes because necessity is laid upon them and because they have no other choice but to serve," he said.
The religious leader offered words of encouragement to all people that serve in a leadership role. He said they should always pray and yield themselves to God, and that when all is said and done, and the dust has cleared, that it is really not about them.
"This is about God, about what God has done. About what God continues to do - and the grace that God gives us so that we can do what it is that we have been called to do. In order to offer oneself to God, one has to deny self and put that self into the hands of God. Often as human beings we see ourselves in terms of who we are, what we have done, what we have experienced, what we struggle with. We see ourselves in terms of our pains and wounds, our successes, our accomplishment, and all of these things are important because they form our identity; however on our human journey, we are called not to focus only upon ourselves, but to see ourselves in terms of what God has for us to be and what God calls us to," he said.
For people to reach their full maturity and potential, he said they must go beyond themselves.
"It is not about us. It is about God. Let us keep our eyes lifted high, look to higher ideals, higher standards, higher principals and look to the place where God first ordained for us to be. As we worship God and thank God for the contribution of Queen Elizabeth II and all that she means to us, let us also remember that we have been called to serve, and wherever we are called to give it, it will reach its full potential only if we let go of self, and throw ourselves into the arms of God. We thank God for the privilege of serving. We ask God by His grace to help us all to continue to serve without getting tired, and we pray that we would yield ourselves unto God as those who have been brought from death to life," he said.

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