Posted on 04/18/2021 6:17:35 AM PDT by Kaslin
I confess to having followed the life of Prince Philip with some interest. After all, we both started life as Greeks, were born on islands, brought up in the Orthodox Church and ended up as very British Anglicans.
In fact, trying to add anything meaningful to the mountain of material generated by the passing of Prince Philip is a daunting task. Nevertheless, I think one aspect that has not been considered adequately is his extraordinary role as a servant. In Christian circles we frequently pay lip service to the idea of being a servant. Although it’s a concept that is easy to embrace in an age and culture where most of us are unfamiliar with the practice of being a servant, I do wonder whether we understand the reality. To be a servant demands two things: first, you must make the needs of someone else your priority; second, you put yourself in a subordinate position. To make your well-being second to someone else’s is a tough call.
Prince Philip became a servant and played the role well. And let me remind you, it’s not a task he was born to. With his origins within Europe’s noble families, his outstanding education and his natural gifting of courage and intelligence, he was born to be a leader not a follower. In another time and place one can well imagine him as the respected monarch of some European kingdom. To be forced to walk ‘two steps behind’ was never his natural position in life. Indeed, he may well have had some expectations of not having to play the role of consort to Her Majesty until much later in life: after all, George VI was only fifty-six when he died. The result was, however, that within five years of his marriage Prince Philip found himself thrust not so much into the limelight as into the shadows. And there he stayed, loyal and supportive, for nearly seventy years.
We don’t need the imaginations of The Crown to know that being consort to the Queen was not an easy role to play. The press has made much of Prince Philip’s occasional gaffe but there must have been countless occasions when he was forced to bite his tongue. I do wonder how often when, safe in the privacy of Balmoral or Buckingham Palace, he let off a steam of frustration at all that he had been forced to endure. Convention demands that the monarch is above criticism; there is no such protection for her spouse and Prince Philip took a lot of abuse. To choose to be a servant is to offer yourself as a sacrifice.
Prince Philip’s life reminds us that as Christians we are to be servants. In an age of celebrity culture, taking a step back does not come easily. The Greek word for servant or slave doulos – Prince Philip would have known it well – occurs over a hundred times across the New Testament. It has three great focal points: Christ, the King above all who became the servant for all (Philippians 2:7); the way that we who follow him are to reciprocate by being his servants; and the way in which we are to be the servants of others.
One of the glories of Christianity – unknown and unsung in this life but not, we are promised, in the next – are those men and women who have given up their own pleasures, priorities and power in order to loyally serve Christ or each other. In practice, as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25:40, to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ is to serve him.
We don’t need the imaginations of The Crown to know that being consort to the Queen was not an easy role to play. The press has made much of Prince Philip’s occasional gaffe but there must have been countless occasions when he was forced to bite his tongue. I do wonder how often when, safe in the privacy of Balmoral or Buckingham Palace, he let off a steam of frustration at all that he had been forced to endure. Convention demands that the monarch is above criticism; there is no such protection for her spouse and Prince Philip took a lot of abuse. To choose to be a servant is to offer yourself as a sacrifice.
Prince Philip’s life reminds us that as Christians we are to be servants. In an age of celebrity culture, taking a step back does not come easily. The Greek word for servant or slave doulos – Prince Philip would have known it well – occurs over a hundred times across the New Testament. It has three great focal points: Christ, the King above all who became the servant for all (Philippians 2:7); the way that we who follow him are to reciprocate by being his servants; and the way in which we are to be the servants of others.
One of the glories of Christianity – unknown and unsung in this life but not, we are promised, in the next – are those men and women who have given up their own pleasures, priorities and power in order to loyally serve Christ or each other. In practice, as Jesus reminds us in Matthew 25:40, to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ is to serve him.
He lived an extraordinary life. His beginnings were far worse than Prince Woke but he just got on with it.
I hope Prince Woke felt some shame over what he has done to the Royal Family while Phillip was dying.
I’m not into royalty cause I’m a Yankee but I guess Phil was ok. Prince Woke. Not so much. His husband is holding the family jewels obviously.
His wife sent out her PR team to make sure everyone knew that she sent a handwritten note (”she is known for her calligraphy”) while the rest of the wreaths also had notes but no one sent out a PR team to tell everyone about it.
Interesting. I will bet THAT crap will get her in more trouble with Harry than some of the other stuff. Taking to spotlight from his dead grandfather is the type of crass ego crap that the Royals always try to avoid.
The ONLY handwritten note that should have been front and center yesterday was the Queen’s, And they are not pleased.
Quite a few Brit papers got confused for awhile and thought that note on the coffin was the note from Meghan.
one of the funniest stories is that one about Peter Phillips glaring at Prince Andrew. It might not really have been about Prince Andrew . This is the grandson that traipsed off to Scotland to visit a girlfriend despite travel restrictions
I laughed out loud at this
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14685066/meghan-markles-omid-scobie-close-queen-prince-philip/
I wonder how much the actions of those 2 ingrates added to Phillip’s death.
They must have been delighted that SHE would not be there. No one wants to see her or talk to her after she took cheap shots at them in her ‘interview’
That stupid cow sold herself to the ‘I hate America’ crowd and pulled an indefensible stunt on her husband's family...just to trash Americans and to smear her in-laws at the same time. She found, after her marriage, that it was NOT all about HER.....and put down skid marks getting out of the royal family.
Hah. Self-centered Harry and Meghan's assault on the royals (to get them big bucks) had no effect.
The queen was said to be receiving stacks of mail sent worldwide supporting her and the royals......
a resounding slap in the face to the two malingerers.
THAT’S ugly and immeasurably base.
After her ‘smash and grab’ on the royal family she needs to go somewhere, STFU and just HOPE that people will forget how disgusting she is.
Someone named Lady Campbell said that Prince Phillip told Harry that "We date showgirls, we don't marry them". She said Harry then played the race card and the Royals gave up.
At this point, we would be shocked if she and he did NOT do something tacky, monetizing and shady.
Anyway, I am glad so much attention was given to Prince Philip and his long life of service to Great Britain.
Isn’t Prince Phillip the guy who said he wanted to co.e back as a virus and kill everyone? Or was that Charles.
It was Philip, and it was a doubly bad comment because he was criticizing overpopulation although he had four children. It would have been ironic if he had died of COVID.
Sooo be wasn’t so nice, he was actually a wannabe serial killer.
We will never know his thoughts, but we do know he could be brusque and rude. He still served Great Britain in many positive ways.
Some of his quips were hilarious.....and true. He wasn’t very politically correct which was a breath of fresh air in the UK where most everyone has the SJW mentality.
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