Sermon-Love at the Cross

Memorial to John Letts in St Olave Hart Street (from 'A London Inheritance')

A sermon given during Holy Communion at St Olave Hart Street on Sunday 15th March 2026 (Mothering Sunday) based on readings from Colossians 3.12–17 and John 19:25b–27. 

BOOK REVIEW : Daughter of Jerusalem by Sara Maitland

Written by Sara Maitland and set around the time it was first published (1978), the book is divided into nine ‘months’ and tells the story of Liz and Ian as they struggle to conceive a child; with some passages containing quite graphic detail. 

Each chapter concludes with an imagined account of a biblical story, with no apparent separation in the way the text is set out - no double spacing or page marking - each month of the story of Liz and Ian is meant to be read as one with the parallel narrative, the content of which seems to relate to an event or theme earlier in the chapter. Each of the ‘biblical’ stories has a female character as its principal focus.

This is the first novel I have read by Sarah Maitland, who is a noted writer of what is described by some as “religious fantasy” although this novel seems more “religious reality” to me. Maitland is also known as a feminist author. Daughter of Jerusalem was her first novel. 

I was introduced to the book by Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester, when he kindly gave a lecture at St Augustine’s College one Friday evening before the summer holiday. The subject of his lecture was Mary, the Mother of God. 

Start:Stop - Role conflict: a Marian perspective

The Virgin Spanking The Christ Child - Max Ernst (1926)

Role conflict is a significant cause of workplace stress. It can occur when we face seemingly incompatible expectations - for example, conflicting deadlines set by different supervisors or clients. Role conflict may also arise when there is ambiguity or overlap between the different roles we fulfill; for instance, where a manager has to discipline members of a team who they consider to be their friends. 

It’s not just in the workplace that we face role conflict, but within all areas of life - and perhaps especially at the point at which the different areas of our lives meet. Nor is it always a third party - another person - who places these pressures upon us; it is just as likely that role conflict arises from expectations we place on ourselves or from a desire to conform to overlapping societal and cultural “norms” - for instance, to have a successful career and a happy family.

This week, the church remembers the birth of Mary, the mother of God; who is also the Blessed Virgin Mary - someone who embodies the ultimate role conflict. 

What can the example of Mary teach us about the conflicting roles we embody? 

The gospel reading set for the Nativity of the Mary is from the Gospel according to St Matthew, chapter one, beginning at verse eighteen. 

Images of Mary - A Lecture by The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey John

Europa Prima Pars Terrae informa Virginis' by Heinrich Bunting

While in Prague in August we visited the beautiful Strahov Monastery and its extensive library. One of the exhibits on display was a print of 'Europa Prima Pars Terrae informa Virginis' by Heinrich Bunting - a map of Europe in the form of a Virgin (Mary) showing Bohemia at its heart and Spain (home to the Hapsburg Dynasty who were, at the time the map was created, Holy Roman Emperors of Europe) as the head. It looks as though Britain and Ireland are floating off behind the head of the Virgin, but in most versions they are shown as a flag or banner, which she is waving.