Issue 48 June 2026

Feast

Pentecost prostration prayers

This Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost. Both Liturgies will begin at 8:15am, 15 minutes earlier than usual.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy, we will pray the special Pentecost prostration prayers, which commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and our kneeling in humility and repentance before God, asking Him to renew and sanctify us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Please don't leave after communion, so as not to miss this blessed prayer.

From the pulpit

The gift of the Holy Spirit

Fr Luke · The Feast of Pentecost

Blessed Feast of Pentecost.

In the Orthodox Church, we don't just read these stories and commemorate them as if we're reading a story. Just like the apostles received the Holy Spirit, we too today believe in the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Every Pentecost, we stand and pray that the Holy Spirit ignites Himself in our lives and in our Church once more.

The first fruits and the law

The context of the Feast of Pentecost is also really important to understand the gift. Pentecost was a Jewish feast. It was already a feast at the time, and on the day of Pentecost, Jerusalem was always filled with people who would come from their towns, just like at the Feast of Passover. They would commemorate two things. The first was Moses going up Mount Sinai and receiving the Ten Commandments from God. The second was the Feast of Wheat: the beginning of their harvest, when they would come and bring their first fruits and present them as a gift to the Lord at the temple.

We may not fully appreciate the harvest because of the access we have to everything, but for them it was a big moment in their lives. They would go throughout winter using all the stores of their crop until supply ran out. They'd pray and wait anxiously for harvest season to arrive to ensure their produce was abundant again for their families. It was vital to their existence, and when the harvest came, they would present their first fruits to the Lord.

What happens on Pentecost is a continuation of those two things. Just as Moses received the Ten Commandments on the day of Pentecost, the Church receives the Holy Spirit. Instead of the law being inscribed on stone, it is inscribed in our hearts. Instead of us coming and presenting a gift to the Lord, He comes and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. And just as they presented the first fruits at the temple, He asks us to take His gift and give it to others, to evangelise and spread His word. We see that with Peter, who goes out to preach the word of God, and three thousand people are converted.

So we see this parallel between the Old and the New Testament. What is this gift that is so treasured and valuable? We understand the magnitude of the gift from the characteristics of the Holy Spirit.

Wind

The first symbol of the Holy Spirit is wind. We read in the Book of Acts, "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." In the Old Testament, the wind was always a symbol of the presence of God. Wind represents life and movement, and so the gift of the Holy Spirit within us gives us life and movement towards God. As humans, we wouldn't have the inclination or the drive to move closer to God but for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and that is what the wind reminds us of and drives us towards.

The prophet Ezekiel was brought to a valley filled with bones, and the bones were dead. God told him to prophesy to the breath, and to tell the bones to rise. That breath which gives life to the dead bones is the same breath that gives us life every day, that raises us up from our spiritual death and makes us alive again.

Fire

The second symbol of the Holy Spirit is fire. We read in the Book of Acts that there appeared divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. Again, in the Old Testament, fire represents God's presence. We look at the burning bush and see that God is present in the fire. We see the pillar of fire that gave the Israelites direction in the wilderness. We see the fire that falls on Elijah's altar and consumes the sacrifice. Every time we read about fire in the Bible, it marks the presence of God.

Fire has many functions. In the Old Testament, it would purify the sacrifice. The same thing happens with us. When the Holy Spirit works within our hearts, He purifies us. Sometimes we have sin that we can't remove, but when the Holy Spirit is alive in my life, He consumes the sin and extinguishes my bad habits.

Fire also represents passion and zeal. For us to have zeal for God, we need the fire of the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. And just as fire comforts us in the cold (there's nothing better than standing around a fire in the cold), the Holy Spirit works to comfort us in our tribulation and wants to give us peace, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The power to transform

In our lives today, the Holy Spirit works to transform us and our Church.

Sometimes it can be incredibly hard to break bad habits, but the Holy Spirit has the power to transform. Think of St Peter. Fifty days earlier, he saw a little servant girl in the court of the High Priest and he was terrified. He couldn't tell her that he was a follower of Christ. But when he received the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he was transformed, able to preach, and through Christ three thousand people were converted. His fear vanished. That is the power of the Holy Spirit working in the life of St Peter.

Every Liturgy, we have bread and wine before us at the altar, but through the Holy Spirit, simple ingredients are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives is transformational.

We receive the fruits of the Holy Spirit that we read about in Galatians, like a new harvest: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These fruits are born not of ourselves, but of a rebirth in which Christ works through us and blesses what we have.

The gift is the same

Why does it matter for us today? What are we asking the Holy Spirit to do? We received Him at baptism, so why do we need to seek Him again? Was the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost more powerful than it is today? No: the gift is the same.

Imagine someone left you an inheritance of one billion dollars at the bank, but you don't go to the bank for years. Does the gift diminish? No, it is still there, waiting to be taken.

Today, on the Feast of Pentecost, we beg the Lord to ignite this gift in us. The Holy Spirit is like the censer. It has coal in it, but the incense needs to be set on fire for the fragrance to spread and the smoke to carry prayers up to heaven. We need to ignite God in our lives and plead with Him to show us the power of the Holy Spirit which was alive in the early Church.

We pray for transformation. We pray for our sin and worries to be swept away by His wind and replaced with peace. We ask for sadness to turn to joy. We ask for lukewarmness to be transformed into zeal.

The Church begins this with the Fast of the Apostles, to give fuel to the fire of the Holy Spirit and to ensure He is alive within us. Choose a virtuous practice like praying daily, reading the Bible daily, or attending the Liturgy weekly (and an additional one if you're able). If you don't usually fast, fast to allow these actions to ignite the fire within us.

We need to be filled and ignited by letting God in and letting Him transform us.

Parish life

Humility Month

Throughout the month of June, the church will be marking a new tradition we're calling Humility Month.

This beautiful initiative was created by a member of our congregation, who prepared a daily guide with rituals, prayers and contemplations for families in our church. It includes simple daily challenges to help us cultivate humility, along with a weekly family activity to teach children the beauty of humility in a practical way.

The handbook is shared in the St John's Family group. Ask at the church office or through the St John's app if you'd like a copy.

May God grant us all a spirit of humility and love this month.

Giving

Make a tax-deductible donation

As we approach the end of the financial year, we invite you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing growth and care of our Church.

Your donations help us improve your church to cater for the needs of our families. Donations also allow us to help families in need of financial support.

What we hope to do in the next 12 months:

• A new kids church
• New Sunday School rooms on church grounds
• A new Orban (Holy Bread) baking room
• A multipurpose sports hall
• Donations to the homeless and families in financial distress

Please prayerfully consider making a donation before 30 June if you are able to. You can give through the St John's app, or ask at the church office for direct deposit details.

Listen

Podcast and homily recommendations

If you suffer from decision fatigue and struggle to find the right things to read or listen to, we'll now be providing some recommendations from priests and congregation members on what to tune into to keep your mind on Christ.

Coptic Orthodox Answers: interview with Fr Lazarus

Fr Lazarus El Anthony is a Coptic monk living in seclusion in the Red Sea mountains in Egypt. He was a former university lecturer in literature and philosophy, and spent 40 years as an atheist.

In Christ You Will Have Peace

This homily, on the Upper Room Media app, comes highly recommended by a congregation member. The app features a range of sermons, podcasts and speakers to choose from, and is available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore.

Fr Elijah reflects on the Feast of the Ascension and Christ's promise in John 16:33: "In Me you may have peace." True peace is not found in a slower pace, a better place, or even another person. It is found only in Christ. As we approach Pentecost, we are invited to ask whether we have truly fed on Christ during the Holy 50 Days and whether we are ready to receive the Holy Spirit with eagerness and power. Through the Word of God, the Eucharist and sincere repentance, Christ gives us His peace in the middle of tribulation.

Listen at upperroommedia.subspla.sh/tvnz35x.