John says, “Prepare the way of the Lord. One who comes after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.”

These signs, these symbols, these signals of the future are hardly good omens. They don’t really bode well for what is to come. If you look at them, you don’t get a good understanding of what it is they are pointing towards. John, the desert dweller, locust eater, is hardly likely to command an audience from the high and the mighty. And the shoots and the branch, variously translated in other translations of The Bible as the ‘twig’ and the ‘sprig’ are frailest, flimsiest part of the tree, hardly suggesting a well-rooted, mighty oak.

What will be is not readily glimpsed in what is. What is to come is not apparent in what is now. The fruit is not seen in the seed. It’s hard to imagine what will come to pass when an idea is planted and you can never know what will grow out of one particular thought, one particular seed planted within a place or a community.

Who would have thought that from the paper-chains that have been sitting unceremoniously around our altar for a year, would grow the idea of a touring exhibition from The Equiano Project, with the Deputy Lieutenant and various mayors and dignitaries coming to look at it, let along getting Wendy Neale on Radio Berkshire!

Who would have thought that from the desire to mark 60 years of St Nicolas, in some way shape or form, would grow that marvellous weekend in June when we had all sorts of things happening, and the marquee… I think it’s fair to argue that the Bournemouth weekend has grown out of that seed, that desire to mark our sixtieth birthday.

We‘ve had an amazing year as a church. All sorts of things have grown up from those delicate seeds that were planted from a twig and a sprig. Advent marks the start of a new church year, so what better time to plant a new seed. Not in an effort to force a new direction on the church, not in an effort or desire to coerce us into doing new things, but just to see what grows. To watch and wait and see shoots of new life emerge.

It is with that in mind that we have two new posters above the door to the church. Some of you may have noticed them in the last week or so; some of you may yet have to notice them. These two phrases have been developed with the church council over the last year.

The one you can see here is the vision statement
 

     We yearn to see God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven

That is the ultimate vision for what we say we are about as a church. That is the ultimate goal and destination for us as a community. When that is achieved, as I have said before, we can pack, lock the doors and go home, because the vision has been achieved. It is something that is unlikely to be brought about through our efforts alone and in our life-time, which is why it is a vision. It is something to which we aspire. Something that we hold in front of us saying: This is the journey’s end.

But we need something to help us along that journey. We need a route to march along together, a place to explore that vision, and in the jargon that is called a purpose statement. We could talk about why it’s called a purpose statement and we could dream up other words for it, but let’s not. Let’s put that to one side. The jargon is a purpose statement, and that’s on the other side of the door. And it’s on top of your Sunday Sheet. And I hope you are beginning to recognise that
 

     We long to be open to God, open to one another and open to the community

These are the seeds that we are planting this year. Seeds of openness, and stealing a phrase from David without any care and concern what so ever, kingdom-spotting. Seeds of sharing our lives more deeply with those around us, seeds of approachability, honesty, and sensitivity. All in the hope that we may communicate, we may serve, and we may respect those amongst whom we have been called to share the Good News of Jesus.

How developed these seed will become, how mature these seeds will grow, in what ways they will grow, and how potent these images and phrases will become in your life and the life of this community, only time will tell. But what we do know is that now is the time to plant seeds. It is important for us to do this now.

Four questions for you. Answer them in your head honestly.

1. According to the story in the Christian Bible, where was Jesus born?
   Answer: In Bethlehem
    
2. According to the story in the Christian Bible, who told Mary she would give birth to a son?
   Answer: An angel
    
3. According to the story in the Christian Bible, who was Jesus’ cousin?
   Answer: John the Baptist
    
4. According to the story in the Christian Bible, where did Mary, Joseph and Jesus go to escape from Herod?
   Answer: Egypt

  o ‘I am a Christian who regularly attends Church’

Of the people who ticked that box, the percentage of people who got all 4 questions right was 36%, 1 in 3.

This need to plant seeds is not of theoretical interest. This need to plant seeds is not merely an academic exercise. This need to plant seeds is real. Here and now with the people amongst whom you live and work, amongst whom I live and work. They don’t know the Christian Story. They don’t even know the story of the birth of Jesus, let alone the important stuff about life and life in all its fullness. There is a real imperative, an absolute imperative, for us and every church, and every Christian to share our faith more openly, to point out signs of the Kingdom more readily, to plant seeds of truth that point to a greater and a deeper hope. For ‘from the twig and the sprig of Jesse’s stock, comes forth the one in whom can be found wisdom and understand, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord.’

And the desert-dwelling, locust-eating herald proclaims the one who brings near the Kingdom of God.

And from us, who yearn for the kingdom and who long for that openness, will spring up shoots and fruits that we have not yet even dared to dream or imagine