Today we are keeping our Patronal Festival, the day we remember the saint after whom this church is named. Mary, the mother of Jesus, can be a controversial figure because she has collected some unfortunate connotations. The various views about her reveal some of the major differences in the Christian traditions. The best way I have discovered to ensure that what we say about Mary remains consistent with the rest of the Christian gospel is to remember two basic points. Quite simply whatever we say about Mary is either really about God or about ourselves. Mary points us to her Son, to God among us in Jesus, and in so doing points to the church’s job to show Jesus. She also stands as a representative of the believer’s response to this revelation: a response of faith-filled obedience and all consuming acceptance.

So as we keep those two basic points in our brains - that Mary always points us to God and to ourselves in our response to God - I want to spend a few moments this morning taking a fresh look at just two of the ancient titles which were given to Mary and suggest that we can see these in a new light.

The first one has become familiar through the hymn ‘Crown him with many crowns’ and the verse that refers to her as the ‘mystic rose’. Jesus is described as being the fruit of that mystic rose. So while the term refers to Mary, more fully it points to the flowering of God’s grace in the gift of Jesus that comes about through and in her. For the stem of that Rose, in the hymn, is Jesus and he is the root from which mercy flows. Mary is the God-bearer and that again is another ancient title for Mary; she is the one who bore the eternal Word made flesh.

As an example for us to follow, Mary reminds us that we too are called to allow God to be born within us, so that his grace may flower within us too. We are to be midwives of the gospel, assisting with the bringing to birth of the fruit of God’s Spirit in all places. Sometimes that is straightforward and makes us aware how much is not down to us at all, but we are witnesses to the much larger working of God. Sometimes it is a difficult birth and we are aware of the mysterious fragility of the world God has made and set in being.

There is a further association with the rose that is particularly pertinent in Yorkshire, a white one being the symbol adopted by Edmund, Duke of York for the House of York in 14th century. (His brother, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster took the red rose for his symbol.) In all likelihood they took these symbols out of devotion to Mary.

The link between Mary and the rose has very deep roots. Roses grew in the hanging gardens of Babylon in the 6th century BC. These gardens were near to the Gate of Ishtar, the goddess identified with the planet Venus, and she was given the title of Lady of the Garden of Heaven. (It is not difficult to see how this imagery influenced notions of Mary as ‘My Lady’ and more controversially ‘Queen of Heaven’ - but more on that in a moment.) Greek mythology has Aphrodite, the goddess of love, also associated with Venus, springing into life from the foam of the sea. Where that foam fell the legend has white roses growing. There are references in the Old Testament to the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley (Song of Songs), and to the desert blossoming as a rose when the kingdom of righteousness is established (Isaiah). Put all of these traditions into the melting pot, add the Virgin Mary and it is not difficult to see how she became associated with the rose and the lily. Through Mary the ultimate life giving was brought to flower in Jesus; God’s grace flowered in the mystery associated with this rose. Classical influences have been used as a colouring pallet for views of Mary.

The second title associated with Mary I want to look at is at first more problematic. ‘Queen of Heaven’ strikes me as crossing a line between recognising the special place someone has and giving them a pedestal they should not occupy, for it is reserved for God alone. God alone rules in our hearts and we delight in his service. That goes for everyone, including Mary. She is not a co-monarch in heaven and this title can take us to a strange place, almost implying that Mary is ‘Mrs God’!

Then again, there are some verses in the Book of Revelation (22:5; 5:10) that talk about all Christians coming to reign with God in glory. In those verses we are given the picture of the river of life flowing from the throne of God and the exalted Christ. It is an image of paradise and those who have won through are seen to be on top, reigning for ever and ever. Written at a time of persecution, it declares that although we may be very far from reigning now, the day will come when we will be found to be up there with the ultimate power.

Reigning is not just about being top dog. It is really about exercising authority for a purpose. It is about leadership to achieve a particular goal, be that good order or so that something is able to happen or to just hold things together. As a term it draws on ideas of kings and presidents, those whose decisions make a difference, those who rule.

When we talk about Christ reigning with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, we tap into these notions of authority and leadership being exercised for a purpose. The purpose in the divine sense is so that the reason lying at the heart of everything is fulfilled; ‘it is finished’ to cite Jesus’ words from the cross. Affirming Christ in majesty declares our confidence in God and that we can and do place our ultimate trust in him.

So to talk about reigning with him in glory is about us coming to share in this too. We need to see this in the light of everything being fulfilled in Christ, all being completed and brought to completion in him. It is only in that sense that we can get anywhere close to making sense of medieval titles of a crown for Mary, of her sharing in the reign of Christ.

Again looking at Mary points us to Christ who is the King of glory, the one in whom all things are fulfilled. She also takes us to take a closer look at ourselves and see our own calling to share in this, to reign with him in glory, to place our ultimate trust in him and share in his victory.

Two ancient titles for Mary: ‘mystic rose’ and ‘Queen of Heaven’. In these and any other ways we refer to Mary, she shows us Jesus and shows our response to him. The rose refers to the flowering of God’s grace that comes about in her Son. It refers to the flowering of God’s grace that comes about when we respond to Jesus and allow his Spirit to be born in us. ‘Queen of Heaven’ takes us to our citizenship of heaven, to place our ultimate confidence in Christ. To my mind it strays over a line and implies that she is ‘Mrs God’ in a way that is not helpful, but it can be reinterpreted to take us back to her central role of showing us Jesus - the one in whom we can place our trust - and in showing us ourselves in our response to him - as we give God the glory for the victory that is ultimately his and in which we share in Christ.

© Ian Black 2005

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