A Christian must be willing to sacrifice his or her life for Christ and His Kingdom, but not for the whims of the ruler of the day and his delusions of a ‘holy nation’ with its supposed ‘historic mission’.

Britten’s direct inspiration was the regal music called Zadok the Priest and the text is based on the opening chapter of I Kings, verses 39 & 40.

Tony Britten, the composer, wrote the football anthem based on Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’, whose lyrics are taken from the passage of 1 Kings 1:38-40.

The winning lyrics for a possible new Swiss national anthem forgo any direct reference to God. But there are possible alternatives.