Being a community of God is also about being a community of love, belonging and togetherness.

As we learn to see the nature of God in the face of others, our communities in turn reflect God’s character to the world.

Many communities will have planned street parties, church services, and other celebrations for this Coronation weekend. We pray that in these occasions we, with King Charles, may recognize the face of Christ in those with whom we share them.

As we pray with The King on this Coronation Day, let us also remember that all that we have, and all that we are, comes from the love of God.

We pray that we may always hear and strive to take up God’s invitation to be with him in our lives, and that we, together with The King, may receive grace to carry out what we are called to do.

In all circumstances of life we are all called to self- control. As we remember the important tasks set before our King, and the challenges he will face, we pray that the fruit of self-control, which informs all our actions and decisions, will give him patience and strength to act always in love and obedience to God and in service to others.

And of course the burden can only be carried by one individual at a time. Before his accession The King had been readying himself for the burden of kingship for many years.

As The King prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and The Queen Consort may know the presence of God and be supported by God’s Spirit. In our reading today Jesus refers to himself as ‘gentle and humble in heart’. In him, The King, The Queen Consort – and indeed all of us who bear heavy burdens – will find rest for our souls.

In the Coronation Service, the King’s Oath declares that he will ‘cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all [his] judgements’. This theme runs like a silver thread through the ceremony.

As we pray with King Charles that God will guide him in these great responsibilities, we also think of our own desire to remain faithful to God’s will for us.

All of us have something to give. And there is beauty in the simple action of giving which speaks volumes beyond the act itself, because it comes from the heart.

The life of service to which King Charles is dedicated displays on the public stage the values of love and kindness that each of us can demonstrate through what the poet Wordsworth describes as ‘little, nameless, unremembered acts / Of kindness and of love’.

Nevertheless, patience is among the Fruit of the Spirit listed by St Paul, and something we should aim to embrace whenever we can, looking to God who remains ever patient with us. All Christian people are also called to be patient and persistent in prayer.

Let us ask God for this gift today.

The Hebrew word shalom communicates at its heart a sense of total harmony. Even inanimate objects could be in shalom. For example, in the First Book of Kings when King Solomon finished all the work on the Temple, it was in shalom. Later, the prophet Zechariah declared, ‘Your king will make shalom among the nations’. 

In these days of prayer, let us pray that our nation under The King may hold fast to the promise of peace.

As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray with him that he may continually seek, find, and radiate joy in all things.

The Bible can be read as a narrative of God’s love, and of how we can imitate that love in the way we live. St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians speaks of nine qualities given to those who are guided by the Holy Spirit: the so-called ‘Fruit of the Spirit’. Love is the first of these, and all the others (which we will be exploring in the coming days) are expressions or outcomes of love.

We pray that King Charles will, throughout his reign, continue to know God’s love and to abide in that love as he fulfills his responsibilities.

As we sing, we pray to God that he might protect and care for our King, that God will grant him good things, happiness, and long life as he serves us.

Prayers will be offered for her as she occupies a special and important role in the Royal Family, both as spouse of the Sovereign and in the work she does with charities and other bodies of which she is patron.

As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray that he and all our leaders may have grace to animate and not dominate, that all may flourish.

And yet the ring is marked with a cross, and the other objects are each topped with one, symbolizing the authority of Christ. A dove, the symbol of God the Holy Spirit, perches on the cross at the top of the rod. Together they remind us that Jesus Christ is king over all. Christ reigns from the cross, wearing a crown of thorns, defying the world’s expectations, forgiving and loving to the end, dying and rising that we might have life in all its fullness.

The outward and visible act of anointing signifies an inward grace: we pray that God would bless and set apart King Charles to serve the people of our nation and Commonwealth with humility and joy. The words of Isaiah, adopted by Jesus himself at the start of his ministry, will be an inspiration.

And after it was included in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, it came to be included in services of confirmation and ordination as we recall the royal priesthood in which we all participate. It prays that we may live always within the breath of Jesus Christ, receiving life from him, so that he may inspire in us authentic life, the life that death can never take away.

Today we think of the ideal of the king, and those who govern in his name: that in their personal and public lives they may show the values of God’s kingdom, where those in need are cared for and the oppressed lifted up, and there is peace and justice between people and nations. We pray for strength to live as citizens of the kingdom where God reigns.

The Anglican Communion comprises over forty different churches around the world, representing tens of millions of Christians. Sharing one faith in Jesus Christ, the autonomous churches of the Communion are also committed to interdependence. They strive to work together as part of the worldwide Church of Christ, ‘God’s own people’, across the cultural differences and theological disagreements which mark their life together. 

We pray that our King, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, may encourage us in this quest for unity.

The modern Commonwealth was born in 1949 when India, on gaining independence and republican status, agreed to remain in the Commonwealth based on ‘free association’ and ‘equality’, with the British Monarch becoming ‘a symbol of the free association of independent members nations, and as such, Head of the Commonwealth’.

We pray for The King as he fulfils this important role in national and international affairs, that he may be an example of the wisdom, justice, and care that we all seek in our lives.

As we prepare to witness the grandeur of the coronation, we pray for King Charles as, amid all the ceremony, he vows to serve his people as a servant of God. May he have the grace to lead in humility with all his heart, mind, soul and strength.

Christians believe that God has uniquely entrusted to human beings the care of creation and that to God we must render an account of our activity. And it is not just to God that we must give an account. Younger generations today clamour to know what their global inheritance will be. King Charles has been alert to this challenge from his earliest years and we pray with him.

‘Freedom of Religion or Belief’ is foundational to human rights. At a reception for different faith leaders following his accession, The King spoke of his ‘duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals’.

Sadly, religious freedom is suppressed in many countries, and cannot be taken for granted here. We pray for our King as he champions this cause.

As King Charles prepares for his coronation, we pray that ‘in all the changes and chances of this fleeting world’, he may be rooted in the changelessness of God. For ourselves, adapting words of St Paul in our reading for today, we pray that ‘the God who gives endurance and encouragement’ may give us a spirit of unity as we follow Jesus through whatever lies ahead.

For over 70 years Queen Elizabeth put duty first, winning the love of the country as she did so. We pray with and for our King as he strives to do the same.

As The King prepares for this lifelong task, we reflect on the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. Jesus shows us what we might all aspire to: the possibility of living for others, of seeking the wellbeing of the whole community, of moving beyond self-interest to self-sacrifice.

Why the call to pray in these days leading up to the coronation? It’s a way of accompanying King Charles as he responds to his calling. And it offers us a chance to pray with him that we may become more the people God is calling us to be, that all our lives may bear fruit that will last.

To mark this important moment in our nation’s life, the Church of England has compiled this series of Daily Prayers. From Easter Day to Coronation Day, this audio version of the prayers provides a daily theme, reading, reflection and prayer for use by individuals, churches or groups who wish to use these days to:

• pray for the King, our nation and the world

• explore the symbolism of the Coronation service

• reflect on Jesus, the Servant King

The audio will be accessible through the daily reflection emails, or by telling your smart speakers to “ask the Church of England for today’s Coronation reflection”.

For details of more Church of England Coronation resources for individuals, churches, schools and community groups, please visit cofe.io/Coronation.