Lighting the Beacons: Kindling the Flame of Faith in our Hearts

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I love the way that God’s Spirit inhabits our imaginings, so this image of chains of light has resonated with me over the last ten years, ever since I started praying in earnest for the renewal of faith across the North West. I love the way that everything (Bishop Jill) does seems to focus outwards on those beyond the walls of the church, and upwards towards the Lord in prayer.' The Jubilee Beacons will be lit around the UK and Channel Islands at 9.45pm on Thursday 2 June, with pipers across the nation and Commonwealth performing the special commemorative tune “Diu Regnare” just before. The Tree of Trees is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which aimed to plant one million trees ahead of the Platinum Jubilee. A beautiful book with engaging stories to warm the soul of those on the edge of faith and those for whom faith is an old, but mysterious friend. - Rev Kate Bottley, Radio 2 presenter

The vision Jill describes of beacons of light filling our communities is exactly what the church has been praying and longing for hundreds of years. - Debra Green OBE, Executive Director, Redeeming Our Communities There are some exceptions, with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Anchor Chain lit at 9.30pm, and the 40 connecting beacons along Hadrian’s Wall at 10.00pm – international beacons are being lit at 9.15pm local time. At exactly 9.45pm the beacons will be lit and communities will sing A Life Lived with Grace - the Song for the Commonwealth - which won a competition to be chosen as the official beacon song. The Epsom Derby race takes place. The Queen and her family are expected to head to the racecourse on Derby Day, where the monarch is due to be greeted with a guard of honour. The newly-announced engagement is an additional entry to the Queen’s busy diary over the four-day weekend.Jill: "I hope that the book can be used in mid-week groups, book groups in homes or pubs. It’s written in twelve easy-read chapters, each with questions at the end to get the conversation started.

This will be followed at 9.40pm by an official Bugle Call entitled Majesty written especially for the Jubilee and played by bugle and cornet players. The sculpture is made of 80 steel branches holding 350 trees in aluminium pots bearing the Queen’s Royal Cypher. I am intrigued that the #ThyKingdomCome ten days of prayer leads up to Beacon events at Pentecost and uses the imagery of lights being lit across the world. Beacons are a beautiful image for men, women and children on fire with the Spirit of God, shining his light into all their spheres of influence. In fact the more I prayed, the more I was drawn into a sense agony in God’s heart, the whisper of the Spirit signalling: “We miss you, please come home”. Many others have had a similar vision. Jubilee names will be familiar to many as they follow the same convention as those commonly used to denote significant wedding anniversaries.The Queen is to symbolically lead the lighting of the principal Jubilee beacon from Windsor Castle as part of special dual ceremony with her grandson the Duke of Cambridge tonight. A beautiful book with engaging stories to warm the soul of those on the edge of faith and those for whom faith is an old, but mysterious friend.'

My older son dared me to write it so that it could be read by the Dads at rugby. A couple of the school mums read it, and one said: “This has made me want to read the Bible more”. Beacons were lit to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. They were also used in 1977, 2002 and 2012 to mark Elizabeth II’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees, as well as her 90th birthday in 2016. Where are the Jubilee Beacons? In a recent letter to parishes Bishop Jill and Bishop Philip highlighted a new resource for the Diocese and a launch event tohelp us to do just that ... Members of the royal family arrive to watch the lighting of the principal beacon at the palace– a 21-metre tall Tree of Trees sculpture. The sculpture is made up of 80 steel branches holding 350 trees in aluminium pots marked with the Queen's cypher.Although traditionally the principal beacon would be set on fire, this year it is taking the form of a near-70ft light installation called the "Tree of Trees". On mountain and cliff tops, on village greens and town squares, a chain of more than 3,000 beacons were set ablaze across the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK overseas territories. For the first time beacons were lit in all 54 Commonwealth capitals. The Queen and Prince Philip, for example, marked their platinum wedding anniversary in 2017, 70 years after they were married. The Queen will touch the globe, symbolically triggering the lighting of the Tree of Trees beacon outside the Palace. Lights will chase along the Quadrangle towards Windsor’s famous Round Tower, before travelling up the Tree of Trees in London.

Stourton with Gasper Parish Council and Kilmington Parish Council in partnership with the National Trust – Whitesheet Hill Deeply grounded in a gritty sense of place, yet alert to the signs of God's presence in our culture . . . breathes the kind of hope and longing that will lift your eyes and your heart. - Graham Tomlin, theologian, author and McDonald Agape Director of the Lambeth Palace Library It means the Prince of Wales will now officially represent his mother at the service. With no Queen procession, the timings of the royal party will have to be adjusted, with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arriving 10 minutes later than previously planned. The decision to cancel was seen as regrettable but sensible, given the journey from Windsor Castle to St Paul’s and the physical demands a service at the cathedral inevitably involves. It is understood that it was always the Queen’s hope to attend rather than a firm commitment.The Queen is looking forward to participating in tonight’s beacon lighting event at Windsor Castle and would like to thank all those who made today such a memorable occasion.” Cabot Tower Whitchurch Village Playpark, Norton Lane, Whitchurch Patchway Jubilee Beacon lighting, Bristol BMX Club, Waterside Drive, Patchway A must read for any who are curious, or on the brink of losing heart . . . - Dr Amy Orr-Ewing, Author, Speaker, Theologian and Honorary Lecturer in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen The Tree of Trees consists of 350 native British trees planted in aluminium pots, which will be donated to community groups after the Jubilee celebrations (Picture: Getty Images) The open-air concert in front of the palace – featuring stars including Queen + Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Duran Duran and Diana Ross – is broadcast live on BBC One.