It means much to the British that those who defend others are by their Monarch defended. 

With a surreal metallic rustling of the twenty-three pound Supertunica upon the Abbey floor, the Queen was making her way to the Altar once again.  Still bare-headed, she was bringing the beautiful, sparkling Jewelled Sword, back to the Lord. 

It lay flat and glittering upon the open palms of her upturned hands; her concentration seemed divine and fierce and childlike, all at the same moment.  A Monarch, a Queen, a woman . . . a young woman . . . covered from her neck to the floor in the coat of silk, each thread wrapped in gold, bearing the Sword of the Offering, the Monarch’s personal sword, back to the Altar of God.

It could not remain there.  The Marquess of Salisbury stepped forward once more.  In his hand was an embroidered bag, tied tight.  In it were 100 newly minted shillings, for the Sword had to be redeemed.  He who had borne the Sword of State now bore the Queen’s own Sword.  He would, according to royal tradition, “carry it naked before her Majesty during the rest of the solemnity.”  The 100 shillings would become an everlasting treasure belonging to those who serve Abbey Westminster, and the Sword, redeemed from the altar, spoke for the nation: “We will guard and watch over the gift God has given us in this woman, for she guards us before Him.”

              The Kingdom of God must be fought for, and aggressively, but not with earthly swords.  Through perseverance in faith and prayer, love and worship, speaking the truth of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we obtain a heavenly victory.  In Matthew 11:12 Jesus said that, from the days of John the Baptist to that moment, the Kingdom of heaven had been suffering violence, allowing violence, and that the violent were taking it by force.  For all that we may not understand about this verse, we know that each of us cut away our sin, our pride, and our old nature in order to have all that is ours in Christ Jesus . . . forgiveness, peace, reconciliation with God, purity of heart and soul.   For many it was a violent upheaval, for we loved that which hated us and we feared the God Who loves us.  His love triumphed, and the mighty Sword of His Word plundered our defenses, and we were free!

Her Sword, presented to her from the Altar of God, at the hand of God’s representative.  Her Sword, returned by her to the Altar of God, in tunic of humility and garments of majesty, with uncovered head.  Our lives, given to us by God, our power and strength, needed redemption.  We required redemption.

God-given sovereignty is guarded by those whom sovereignty guards!  It is a bit of a dance, but we understand.  We guard our will by the watchfulness and the power that gave us liberty to act upon righteous decision and purpose.

Each of us has a sovereign will, and each may guard it by the Sword which goes before us, the Word of God.  Beyond price, beyond calculation, is the beauty and the glory of guarding every gift and power of God that has been redeemed on the Altar of God, honoring one another, bearing unsheathed the defense of the majesty of all, the power given to each to become a son of God.

photo credit:

Rotherham Web, The Sword of the Offering