This morning Ricky led an all-in gathering — one of those mornings we love where the kids stay in, the noise levels rise, and something genuinely alive fills the room. The gathering was part of the Next Steps teaching series, and Ricky wove together sunflower seeds, a tape measure, bathroom mats, and a retelling of one of Luke’s most loved stories to explore a single, searching question: what is your next step with Jesus?
The morning began with a reminder from the previous week, when the congregation had written hopes and thanksgivings on paper flowers and planted sunflower seeds. Ricky used those seeds as a thread running through the whole sermon. A short video showed what happens beneath the soil before any shoot appears — roots pushing down into the dark before anything is visible above ground. That picture became a gentle encouragement: even when we cannot see growth happening in our lives or in our church, God is at work underneath. As Ricky put it, “God is good, all the time” — and the congregation echoed it back.
The heart of the sermon came through a dramatised retelling of the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19, acted out with brilliant enthusiasm by a cast of children and adults. Ricky unpacked the steps Zacchaeus took — recognising his desire to see Jesus, coming up with a plan, putting that plan into action, welcoming Jesus in, and then being transformed from the inside out. From there, Ricky invited everyone to consider their own next step: not necessarily a giant leap, but the right-sized step for where they are right now on their journey with Jesus.
Bible References
Key Teaching Points
1. Growth often happens where we can’t see it
Before a sunflower shows any sign of life above the soil, its roots are already pushing downward and growing strong. Ricky used this image to encourage the church that seasons of apparent stillness are not seasons of absence. God is at work even when there is nothing visible to show for it — and we are called to trust that, however little we can see right now.
Even when there’s nothing that we can see that God seems to be doing, God is at work.
2. Every step in the right direction matters — and they need to be in the right order
Just as a sunflower seed needs soil, a hole, planting, watering, and waiting before it grows, so our journey with Jesus involves stages that build on one another. Ricky brought this to life with children taking measured strides from a starting line — each stride different in length, each one valid. There is no single size of next step that fits everyone.
We are all in a different position… we’re all at a different place on our journey, and we have a different relationship with Jesus. But we all have a next step.
3. Your next step should be stretching — but not impossible
Using a brilliantly simple game of “the floor is lava” with bathroom mats, Ricky illustrated that a next step which is too far becomes a leap that leaves us stranded. The right next step is close enough to reach with genuine effort, but far enough to require real movement. Some steps will feel comfortable; others will require courage. Both are valid — but standing still is not the goal.
Our next steps can’t all be comfortable… Some of them need a little bit more effort.
4. Zacchaeus shows us what taking steps towards Jesus actually looks like
Zacchaeus did not wait for perfect conditions. He recognised he wanted to see Jesus, worked around his obstacles, acted on his plan, and then opened his home — and his heart — to Jesus. The transformation that followed was remarkable and immediate. He did not have all the answers before he moved; he just took the next step available to him.
It didn’t happen all at once… He took just a few small steps and suddenly he was completely different.
5. Transformation leads outward, not just inward
Zacchaeus’s encounter with Jesus did not leave him quietly changed on the inside alone. He announced publicly what he was going to do differently — paying back those he had wronged and giving generously to the poor. Our next steps with Jesus are personal, but they are never purely private. They shape how we treat the people around us and how we love our neighbours.
Going Deeper
Take some time this week to reflect on these questions:
- Where in your life do you feel like there is no growth visible right now? Can you trust that God may be doing something beneath the surface that you cannot yet see?
- Think honestly about where you are on your journey with Jesus. What would you say your genuine next step looks like — not someone else’s next step, but yours?
- Zacchaeus had excuses for holding back: he was too short, he was afraid of the crowd, he felt unworthy. What excuses or obstacles are you working around — or hiding behind — when it comes to moving closer to Jesus?
- When Zacchaeus met Jesus, his response was practical and public — he made things right with the people he had wronged. Is there anyone in your life you need to make things right with? What would that look like?
- The series is called Next Steps. Is your next step about spending more time with Jesus in prayer, worship, or the Bible — or is it more about acting differently towards others? What is one concrete thing you could do this week?
Whatever your next step looks like — small or stretching, quiet or courageous — you don’t have to take it alone. Why not bring it to God in prayer this week, and ask him to help you put it into action?
