The Church of the Annunciation Marble Arch

​I will be away for the next couple of Sundays leaving you in Fr Stephen's capable hands. So this is just a brief introduction to the two very contrasting themes on Sunday and the week following. This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Epiphany. Epiphany is the season when we celebrate the revelation of God in Christ to Jew and Gentile alike. 25 January is the day in the church's lectionary when we commemorate the Conversion of St Paul. Saul on his way to Damascus to stamp out the 'blasphemous' church gets turned around and becomes one of the church's most ardent apostles. He even gets his name changed. In an age when religious persecution is back on the agenda Paul's experience reassures us that things don't need to be this way. Fr Stephen has a full-time day job so if you are in urgent need of a priest pastorally please contact the clergy at All Saints Margaret St (020 7636 1788). Fr Alan and his colleagues are always happy to help. Yours in Christ Fr Gerald

The events this week in Paris have understandably made many people nervous. On the one hand the issues run deep and are complex yet on the other hand they are simple. History is complicated and disentangling shifts in power is far from straightforward so all religions have blood on their hands as they have become embroiled in rivalry between different groups. Yet in the 21C we should know that killing by way of revenge is wrong. For me religion cannot be 'defended' it can only be lived. God is big enough to take insults. The crucifixion shows that. This morning on the radio I heard a Muslim in Paris saying that as he walked around now in the French capital he can feel waves of hatred. As we get out and about in the Edgware Road may we as Christians show the opposite to our neighbours of all faiths and none. The season of Epiphany is marked by three great New Testament stories: the visit of the Magi to the young Christ; his baptism by his cousin John at the beginning of his ministry and the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Tomorrow we celebrate the second of these. Jesus was baptised in the Jordan as an act of solidarity with the Jewish people as they were called to repentance by John the Baptist. Rituals involving washing are part of most religions. For us baptism isn't just about cleansing it's about being reborn. Just as our mothers' waters broke announcing our imminent arrival into the world so baptism symbolises our death to sin and being raised to new life. We remind ourselves of this each time we come into church by dipping our fingers in holy water and making the sign of the cross. Water is such a glorious symbol. It exposes us to life and death at the same time. Most of our planet is covered in water. Without it nothing grows or survives. Yet floods destroy. We can drown. To set sail on the ocean is to enter another realm where we do not have full control. Baptism points us to the need for faith beyond uncertainty. No wonder the church is often compared to a ship and the things of God, a 'Promised Land'. To help parents navigate the difficult waters of home and family life Steve and Anya Phillips are running the parenting course again. It starts this Wednesday (14 January), 7.00pm at 4 Wyndham Place. The course lasts for five sessions. If you would like more information or hope to come please contact Steve (stevejphillips@yahoo.com). Thank you. I look forward to being with you tomorrow. Yours in Christ Fr Gerald

Firstly, let me wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope that you have had an enjoyable time with family and friends over Christmas. Some of you will still be away. So if you are traveling back this week I hope that you will do so safely.

In the Western Church the Feast of the Epiphany commemorating the visit to the infant Christ by the magi is the Twelfth Day of Christmas which in our calendar is 6 January. Celebrating feasts on their actual day is becoming rarer especially for people with busy lives and small children. So at the Annunciation like many churches we celebrate Epiphany this Sunday. Its a feast that lends itself to the religious imagination. The precious gifts generated a tradition that there were three magi. By the fourth century they had names (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar). Renaissance painters depicted them as fabulously wealthy and Cologne Cathedral was built to house their relics. So the tradition encourages us to be imaginative in following our guiding light and to be generous in our response.

From Sunday we are making a slight change to Sunday School. Instead of specifying who will lead the session in advance one of the roles for which people will be asked to volunteer 'from the floor' will be to lead the opening session with the musician and close it at the end. We are blessed with three excellent volunteer musicians (Martin Cullingford, Sharon Man and Steve Phillips). This gives the singing some real energy but they need someone to lead the actions and speak from the script on the flip chart. Don't be shy. Its a breeze so please don't hesitate to volunteer.

Its been a busier Christmas than usual for both Mike Chen & Nan Zhang and Chandru & Heena Bhojwani. Both couples had daughters new born just after Christmas. We look forward to seeing them in church very soon. Congratulations to both families.

I am at St Cyprian's on Sunday. Fr Stephen will be with you at the Annunciation. After mass Vladka would like volunteers to help dismantle the Christmas tree.

Later this month Steve and Anya Phillips start running a parenting course on Wednesdays 14, 21, 28 January and 4, 11 February 2015, 7.00pm at 4 Wyndham Place. Please contact Steve (stevejphillips@yahoo.com) if you would like more information or you hope to come.

Yours in Christ

Fr Gerald