A Grace for the Civic Dinner of the Guild of Investment Managers

Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1903-1907

A grace written for the Civic Dinner of the Guild of Investment Managers on Tuesday 18th February 2025 at The Goldsmiths' Hall. 

A Grace for the Installation Dinner of the Guild of Investment Managers

Pennies from Heaven, George Pemba, 1986

A grace written for the Installation Dinner of the Guild of Investment Managers on Tuesday 9th July 2024. The dinner took place a week after the General Election in Ironmongers’ Hall, close to the site of John Wesley’s conversion experience in Aldersgate Street when his heart was ‘strangely warmed’.

In Ironmongers’ Hall, 

we gather to install 

   a Master, Wardens and their Court.

To steward this growing Guild 

as you continue to build 

   the City that we ought.  

May we value this time to share

   in such delightful fare.

And as we sit and eat, 

chewing over our new political elite, 

spare a thought for all who serve. 

Let us not regret 

   the sight of stripped assiettes;

a compliment well deserved.

Lord, may all those who invest 

   be well and truly blessed.

Hearts warmed as we digest 

all we are about to receive. 

Amen 

Image : Pennies from Heaven, George Pemba 

Start:Stop - A Song of Thanksgiving

Emmanuel Ekefrey, Joyful Noise, 2020

Hello and welcome to St Stephen Walbrook and Start:Stop, when we start the day by stopping to reflect for ten minutes, beginning with a short bible reading followed by a reflection and prayers. Please stay as long as your schedule allows. You can hear an audio recording of this reflection at this link.

Today, 22nd November, the church remembers St Cecilia - the patron saint of music, whose life changed when she heard the Lord ‘singing in her heart’. Later this week, people in the United States of America celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Inspired by both of which, the bible reading chosen for this morning is a song of thanksgiving, which has been used as a call to morning worship since the earliest days of the church. 

Start:Stop - Her Majesty's Life of Faith

The People's Monarch - Helen Marshall, Gatwick Airport/BBC South East, 2012

Hello and welcome to St Stephen Walbrook and our Start:Stop reflection, when we start the day by stopping for ten minutes in prayer and reflection. Please come and go as your schedule dictates. You can listen to an audio recording of this week's reflection at this link.

The world is mourning the death of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II; monarch, Supreme Governor of The Church of England and perhaps one of, if not the most prominent advocate for the Christian faith in recent times. 

I confess I have found it impossible to put into words the loss of someone known to 94% of the population of the globe - the single most visually recorded human being in history.  

So, rather than my words, this morning’s reflection, which follows uses her own. Words of wisdom drawn from just some of the public statements and Christmas Broadcasts (CB) she gave over her long reign. Please do take a sheet away with you to reflect on these words further.

Start:Stop – Give Thanks In All Things

Good morning, thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. My name is Phillip Dawson. Reverend Stephen will be back next week. This month we are exploring the themes in the method of prayer known by the acronym ACTS. Today we are thinking about thanksgiving. This reflection will last approximately ten minutes. We begin with a bible reading, which can be found at the top of page 86 in the New Testament section of the Bible.