Jesus talked a lot about fig trees, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that when I found myself standing under this one late last year, God used it to grab my attention. Most trees have their fruit spread evenly along the branches, but figs grow exclusively at the tips. As I looked up I was reminded of this word which I felt that God gave to me regarding our Order:

“The OMS is a tree which bears its fruit at the tips of the branches; in the lives of its individual members and in the lives and contexts that they touch and bless.”

As we grow in size and reach, it will be tempting to measure ourselves by the structures, programmes, activities, and resources that we put in place to support that growth. But none of these things are fruit in themselves; they are just part of the trellis that helps us grow towards the light. Our fruitfulness comes as we each live in ways that are kinder, more prayerful, and more missional with each passing day. We bear the fruit of deeper faith and transformed character as we experience the love of Jesus more fully in our lives. We see the fruit of answered prayer as we pray persistently and passionately for the people and places the Spirit lays on our hearts. We see the fruit of disciples made and strengthened as we open our lives in hospitality and share the good news of Christ. We see the fruit of God’s Kingdom coming near as we gift our creativity and share our acts of justice and mercy with a world that is crying out for both.

Our greatest stories won’t be those of people whose names you might recognise; they will be tales of an extraordinary God working through each of our ordinary lives. Our most life-giving resources won’t be glossy products and programmes, they will be patterns of grace that are learned as we live out our vow and our customaries in the contexts that God has planted us then shared with our brothers and sisters.

A lot of what you are going to hear this year will be about connection: helping OMS members to connect within regions and to connect as communities of shared gifting, calling, and passion. Because if the fruit is found at the tips of the branches, we will only get to share its goodness when we come together and connect with one another.