We are returning to church services “in-pew” this coming Sunday, 14th March, which is also Mothering Sunday. It’s the day when we celebrate the Church as our Mother who nurtures us in faith, so it seemed a very apt day to recommence services with congregations present in church.

It’s also really important to think about the nurturing and maternal side of God – there are so many images of this in the Bible. Nurturing and mothering are intimately connected, and sometimes it’s helpful to think of God as Mother as much as Father. But let’s not forget all those others who nurture us – fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents. I know this day can be so hard for many people – but let us focus on the love and nurture that we give one another in all kinds of ways – for we all together are the Body of Christ which is the Church, and it is through precisely this mutual Love that we are able to speak of the Church as our spiritual Mother.