Page 135 - Archived Back Issues

WCoFF NEWS
Past Master Geoff Morgan
other faiths and none, but it’s also a time when we need to acknowledge our responsibility to reflect Christ’s values in our lives; His care for the oppressed, His concern for the powerless and voiceless, His commandment that we should love one another and His non-violent, self- sacrificial offering of himself. In coming to us in the form of a baby, God makes himself intentionally vulnerable, and in doing so He calls us to mirror that vulnerability in our dealings with each other. The Christmas message shows us a model for our own relationships with each other; it calls us to shine as a light in an increasingly dark world, and to see each other as gifts from God to each other. James quoted the great Civil Rights leader and Baptist minister, Martin Luther King, who said that all life is interrelated and we can only be what we ought to be when those with whom we come into contact become what they ought to be.
At the end of a memorable year for the Company, in which we’ve experienced another successful Fire Lecture, the triumph of the River Pageant and the continued success of our Ball, James concluded that looking on the Christmas message this way would enable us to look forward to a happy and successful 2013.
As many of you are aware, Past Master Geoff Morgan collapsed with chest pains while attending a committee meeting at the Ironmongers Hall and had to be rushed into hospital. The good news is that, following a spell in hospital, he has recovered well and is now recuperating at home. Geoff has been a great supporter and contributor to the newsletter as well as being a wonderful proof reader. We all wish him good speed with getting back to full fitness.
Carol Concert Homily
On 14th December 2012, at the Company’s annual Carol Service at St Mary-le-Bow, the ‘homily’ was delivered by Past Master James Blott (2008-2009), who was licenced by the Bishop of Portsmouth as a Lay Minister in the Church of England in September 2010. This is a summary of what James said:
James took as his message the relevance that the Christmas story has for us in the Company in 2013, looking to the challenges ahead.
He started by referring to the ‘St John’s Bible’ project, the first illuminated Bible produced with a goose quill on vellum since the invention of the printing press. The depiction of the Christmas story is of a huge red Bible in the manger, in place of the baby Jesus. This challenges us to think about the meaning of the famous passage in St John’s gospel, read at so many Carol Services: ‘And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us’. The strangeness of this image, of the baby Jesus shown as a Bible, encourages us to think of the real meaning of the Christmas story, which lies in the enormity of the gift that God has given us, by coming among us as a vulnerable baby.
James went on to say that Christmas has a wide appeal, which enables us to reach out to those of
Past Master James Blott (2008-2009)
Carol Concert Raises £458 for Homeless Charity
The WCoFF carol concert
held at St. Mary le Bow was
well attended and enjoyed
by all who came, company
members, family friends,
children and even some
visitors to London who
happened to be passing.
The singing was excellent,
there were some fine readings and our Past Master James Blott gave the homily - a summary of which can be seen on the left. There were some tasty eats and drinks afterwards and a good time for enjoying each other’s company in the run-up to Christmas in the heart of the city. The really good news was a generous collection for the homeless which was much appreciated.
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