The first flowers that I ever grew were Nasturtiums.

I had been given an orange box filled with soil and a packet of mixed nasturtiums. I planted them carefully and could hardly wait for them to sprout and grow. Because they are such an accommodating seed, tolerating even the poorest soil, I enjoyed great success. I think I was about 8 or 9 and I can date that event as the start of my love for gardening.

At this time of year our gardens are sprouting with new life and each day there is a constant movement and change. Driving through the Forest we see the vibrant greens of new growth and somehow life seems more pleasant, more promising.

Today is Rogation Sunday which with the other rogation days leads us to the great Feast of the Ascension. Strictly speaking ‘Rogation’ comes from the Latin ‘Rogare’ - to ask. We are reminded of what our Lord told us that if we ask for anything in His Name, God will grant our request. Of course, it must be in accord with God’s Will which is why we are to ask in our Lord’s Name and not our own.

Rogation has, however, come to be associated with the land and it is generally a Rural Festival, which in ancient times (and still in some places) included the ’Beating of the Bounds’. Processions would walk around the borders of the Parish (the Bounds) and there were pauses for prayer. In this way the whole Parish was consecrated in prayer to God. Particularly, the prayer is for a good harvest—praying that the seeds planted in the ground—the cereal and grain crops and the vegetables—would yield a rich harvest. This was itself a prayer of asking—of seeking God’s blessing.

We are reminded through such asking of Psalm 24 which begins: The earth is the Lord’s, and all that therein is. It is always good to be reminded of our dependence on God. His providence (what he provides for our well being) is part of God’s blessing on our lives. We should not take God’s gifts for granted but be thankful always for what He provides. Praying for a good crop is part of this thankfulness and is a placing of ourselves in trust into God’s merciful care.

Though in Epping we are not too far from the Rural scene we can ask that others seeds may also grow. Within the team and in St. John’s we have been busily planting seeds over the past year. We have planted seeds of healing; of pastoral care; of lay leadership of services; of nurture; of plans for the development of our building; of Fairtrade. These seeds join others that we have planted in the soil of our corporate faith. They have started to sprout and grow into healthy plants. However, they still need to be fed by prayer if they are to grow really strong. So may our prayer this Rogationtide include these new ventures as we ask God to bring forth a rich harvest of the Spirit in our life as a Church. May we also remind ourselves that God’s ’providence’ for our life as a witnessing, outward-looking church is based on the seed which is our own lives, offered anew to God for him to water with His Grace.