Vicar's Letter

It’s been TREE-mendous!

My Dear Flock, 

Merry Christmass to you all! (I hope you all have a wonderful 40 days of merriment and rejoicing). 

As I look back not only on the Advent and Christmas period we have just celebrated, but the whole year of Our Lord in 2025, I’m filled with such joy and thanks. It’s a great privilege to be your vicar, and I firstly want to say a few thanks.

 - Thanks for all your continued hard work and prayers in keeping St Paul’s a living and active church. 

 - Thanks for all your very kind cards, gifts and wishes both for Christmas and my ‘special’ birthday, which was a joy to          celebrate with you all. 

 - Thanks for all the efforts with the Christmas services and events, and especially the work of our fabulous Tree Festival,      which was incredible. 

As we journey into a New Year and celebrate the Epiphany season of Christmas, it’s a time when we recall God made manifest, as we ponder the Magi visiting the Christ-child with special gifts, the Lord’s Baptism, His miracle at the wedding in Cana and the start of his ministry, the calling of the disciples, and the great feast of Christ being presented in the temple at Candlemass, where we shall turn from the crib to the cross. 

A New Year is before us. 

I wonder if you can remember the resolutions you made last year? 

Probably not! 

I wonder what the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2026 will hold for us? 

We have a special year ahead of us as a church – we shall be celebrating 90 years!

The PCC are currently preparing some events to mark this and during 2026 we shall have both a stewardship campaign and time to think through our vision and mission. 

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts. All kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall do him service. (Psalm 72.10,11) 

In January we shall also celebrate our Patronal Festival for the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, on Sunday 25th January at the 10:15am Mass, with a procession, and followed by a cooked lunch in church. We shall welcome Father Joe Grogan, the curate at St Martin’s Ruislip Manor as our deacon and guest preacher. 

The feast of Saint Paul’s Conversion reminds us that God calls each of us and can use us. In the life of Paul, a sinner becomes a Saint. 

In this Christmas and Epiphany season we see the manifestations of God and the beginnings of Christ’s ministry unfold. We see how God uses Simeon, Anna, Joseph and of course Mary. We too may sometimes feel a sword piercing our souls, but we also must see and hold onto the ‘light of the world’, as we sing of His glory. 

God was made manifest in Jesus Christ. God now makes His home in us and He pours into our hearts, the brilliance of His eternal splendour. 

I pray that we look forward to 2026 with joy, expectant of how God will use us and work through us, here at St Paul’s As Christ is born in our hearts, may we shine with the light of His love and carry His light and love, this season, this year, and always...

 

Blessings,

Your Shepherd

Fr Tommy