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Leathersellers’ Review 2024–2025
From the Honorary Chaplain
the 1st century AD. Fellowship is having common cause and deeply practical: it involves sharing in work. Fellowship is also social, but not superficially so. Paul invites the Church to show fellowship by ‘standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel’ (Philippians 1:27). Naturally, fellowship requires an attitude of selflessness. It involves prioritising the needs of others before your own. This is quite a challenge, but fellowship requires that we engage as those prepared to give more than we receive. This attitude goes right to the heart of what it means to be a Christian. In Philippians, Paul urges the Church to be selfless in fellowship by quoting from what might be the most ancient Christian hymn of all (Philippians 2.6–11). Jesus Christ shares in the eternal nature and perfection of God, the hymn begins, yet he emptied himself of majesty to become a servant. He suffered the humiliating death of a criminal for others. By doing so, he offers life to all who come to him in faith. There can be no one, then, who is too great for fellowship. There can be no one who is too important to look to serve the interests of others. Such partnership and unity of purpose is brought out in our motto: Honour and Glory to God Alone.
I have recently been quite inspired by some funeral eulogies of extraordinary local people I’ve had the privilege to know. So far this year, I’ve heard about how a chance encounter in a pub led to the founding of a major international luxury yacht builder. I’ve also heard the wonderful story of two widowed barristers on opposite sides of a case finding love as they fought. In many cases, marriages end in an argument, but this one began with one! Who can predict when a fruitful partnership is about to begin and where it might go? Since becoming Honorary Chaplain to the Company a few years ago, I’ve heard much about fellowship. This term is of interest to any Christian since it is something mentioned a great deal in the Bible. But what is it to share in fellowship? Christians often use it to refer rather weakly to small talk with a slice of cake after a service. Similarly, we might all think of fellowship as a form of socialising, perhaps at a dinner or after a special event, such as the sponsored run I greatly enjoyed being a part of in March with members and staff of the Leathersellers. However, fellowship is much more than this, however important and good for us socialising is. Fellowship is partnership. Fellowship is collaboration and solidarity. One of the earliest Christian writings is the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Church in the ancient city of Philippi. This letter is almost a treatise on fellowship. The Greek word koinonia, typically translated ‘fellowship’, is quite simply about sharing, or having things in common. Indeed, the Greek language of the New Testament is actually Koine Greek: ‘Common’ Greek, the shared language of the Mediterranean world of
The Revd Dr Ben Sargent, DPhil (Oxon)
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