In his sermon for the funeral of Baroness Thatcher, the Bishop of London said there is calm for her now 'after the storm of a life lived in the heat of political controversy'. Rt Revd Richard Chartres paid tribute to Lady Thatcher's character and spoke about how she was brought up in the Methodist Church, to which he said this country 'owes a huge debt'. The country's first female prime minister was given full military honours as her coffin was taken to St Paul's Cathedral. The service was attended by over 2,000 people, including David Cameron and the Queen. During his address, Bishop Richard told the congregation that today wasn't the time for political debate - but rather a day for human compassion.
He said:
"This, at Lady Thatcher's personal request, is a funeral service, not a Memorial Service with the customary eulogies.
"At such a time, the parson should not aspire to the judgments which are proper to the politician; instead, this is a place for ordinary human compassion of the kind that is reconciling.
"It is also the place for the simple truths which transcend political debate. Above all it is the place for hope.
"One thing that everyone has noted is the courtesy and personal kindness which she showed to those who worked for her, as well as her capacity to reach out to the young, and often also to those who were not, in the world's eyes, "important".
"The letter from a young boy early on in her time as Prime Minister is a typical example.
"Nine year old David wrote to say,
"Last night when we were saying prayers, my daddy said everyone has done wrong things except Jesus. I said I don't think you have done bad things because you are the Prime Minister. Am I right or is my daddy?"
"Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that the PM replied in her own hand in a very straightforward letter which took the question seriously.
"However good we try to be, we can never be as kind, gentle and wise as Jesus. There will be times when we do or say something we wish we hadn't done and we shall be sorry and try not to do it again.
"If you and I were to paint a picture, it wouldn't be as good as the picture of great artists. So our lives can't be as good as the life of Jesus".
"She was always reaching out and trying to help in typically un-coded terms. I was once sitting next to her at some City function.
"In the midst of describing how Hayek's Road to Serfdom had influenced her thinking, she suddenly grasped my wrist and said very emphatically, "Don't touch the duck paté, Bishop -- it's very fattening".
"The natural cycle leads inevitably to decay, but the dominant note of a Christian funeral service, after the sorrow and the memories, is hope."
Revd Ruth Gee is the President Designate of the Methodist Conference and led prayers during the funeral. Speaking to Premier's Marcus Jones on the News Hour she gave her thoughts on the event:
Those attending the service heard Bible readings from Prime Minister David Cameron who read John 14 verses 1-6; and Baroness Thatcher's Granddaughter Amanda Thatcher, who read Ephesians 6 verses 10-18.
Hymns sung were 'He who would valliant be', 'Love Divine' and 'I vow to thee, my country'. One of the readings during the ceremony talked about the armour of God. Colin Bloom is the Executive Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.
Speaking on Premier during the service he says it was fitting:
As well as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, all members of the current cabinet attended, along with more than 30 members of Lady Thatcher's cabinets from her time as prime minister. There were guests associated with the Falkland Islands, including veterans from the 1982 conflict with Argentina, but Argentina's ambassador to London, Alicia Castro, declined an invitation to attend. Lord Leslie Griffiths of Wesley's Chapel, the church where Baroness Thatcher married and christened her children, attended.
He tells Premier's Marcus Jones he would have preferred a more low key event:
Thousands lined the streets as Lady Thatcher's coffin made her way from the Palace of Westminster to St Paul's.
Premier's Des Busteed spoke to these mourners outside St. Paul's Catherdral:
A huge security operation is underway with around four thousand police offers on duty in central London. Many applauded as the coffin passed by, other turned their backs in protest at her policies, and at the cost of the funeral to the public purse. Before the service, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral called on potential protestors to be 'respectful' during the funeral of Baroness Thatcher.
The Very Revd David Ison tells Premier that despite the fact Lady Thatcher was a controversial prime minister, people should remember she was a human being and think about how they would like to be treated if it was one of their family members in the coffin.
"You have to bear in mind the state will always carry the cost of both the funeral and the memorial service of a former prime minister."
And speaking before the service, Prime Minister David Cameron said it will be a fitting tribute to a former prime minister who left a great legacy.
He said:
"No one wants to go back to the days of industrial relations anarchy or mass nationalisations or weak defences.
"She gave the country a new consensus to unite behind and I believe today is going be a fitting tribute to a truly great leader."
The chimes of Big Ben were silenced for the duration of Lady Thatcher's funeral. Lady Thatcher, who was Prime Minister from 1979 until 1990, died aged 87 on April 8th, following a stroke.
Dr Jonathan Oloyede, the Founder of the National Day of Prayer and Worship, tells Premier that he wants Christians to pray for Lady Thatcher's funeral today.
Dr Oloyede is encouraging people to use the hashtag #thywillbedone today with their prayers for the nation.