Issue 55 July 2026

Sunday School

Kids camp!

From 17 to 19 July, our Years 3 to 7 students enjoyed a wonderful Sunday School camp filled with fellowship, fun and opportunities to grow together in Christ. The children had an incredible time and are already eagerly looking forward to the next camp!

A huge thank you to our students and to each and every one of our servants who work tirelessly to spiritually nourish our children and give them a home and a full life within the Church.

We are especially grateful to the servants who sacrifice precious time with their own families to serve the Lord and our church community. Your love, dedication and care are a blessing to us all.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful servants who help our children grow in the safety of your love and care, while guiding them closer to Christ and building friendships and memories that will stay with them for years to come.

Thank you for giving so generously of yourselves to our children and to St John's. We are truly grateful for each of you.

From the pulpit

Be who you're meant to be

Fr Mark · "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", Matthew 18

In today's Gospel, a question is asked by the disciples of Jesus. It wasn't a very good question. It showed poor form on the part of the disciples. It showed a lack of understanding of God's kingdom. The question exposed a human flaw, and perhaps it exposes the human flaw that exists within us.

The question the disciples asked the Lord was, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" (Matthew 18:1).

The problem with this question is that underlying it is still the human sense of comparison. Who is going to be the greatest? Do I get to be in a better position than the other disciple? Where will I be compared to others?

And Jesus, of course, doesn't immediately answer the question. Instead, He does something different. He calls a child and brings the child before them. And He says:

So He doesn't answer their question of who will be greatest. He answers the question of what is the requirement for entry. How do you even get in? And the way of getting in is to become like a child.

What a child cannot be

What is it about children that makes the Lord highlight them as the ones we must imitate in order to enter the kingdom? What quality was the Lord really trying to point out about children?

Children are not perfect. Children are difficult. They're stubborn, they're defiant, they're selfish. They can be cruel and mean. So why are we being told to become like children if they're not perfect?

Children can be all these things. But there's one thing a child cannot be. The one thing a child cannot be is anything other than themselves.

A child cannot be anything other than themselves. They'll always be themselves, no matter what. They'll do what they want to do. They'll say what they want to say. They're not interested in what anyone else thinks of them. No comparisons are required. They simply are who they are.

How many times, as parents, do we try to save our children from saying something? Many times, my kids would go up to someone and say, "He's fat!" And I would say, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

Why? Because children are just themselves. They are not pretending to be anybody else or anything else.

Creation gives glory by being itself

In the Bible, it says that creation gives glory to God. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Scripture also tells us that God's invisible attributes are understood through the things that have been made (Romans 1:20).

The trees give glory to God. The animals give glory to God. The mountains and the heavens give glory to God.

How does all of creation give God glory when creation doesn't speak? Simply by being what they are meant to be. When the tree is a tree, it is being what it is meant to be, and so it gives God glory. When the mountain is a mountain, it is doing what it is meant to do, and so it gives God glory.

Humans are the only part of creation that doesn't simply be what it is meant to be. We're the only ones who try to be something that we are not.

We become very easily distracted by comparison, by looking at what others are doing and who others are. And by doing so, we are no longer being who we are meant to be. We lose the joy of our life because we are too busy comparing ourselves to others.

But God doesn't want us to live that way. He wants us to be who we are meant to be, looking only towards Him, towards Christ, and imitating Christ, not imitating anybody else.

Painting the sunrise

Imagine we all got together and decided to wake up early to watch the sunrise. We made it a group activity where we would paint the sunrise. We all lined up across the beach to paint what we saw.

Imagine that, rather than looking at the sunrise to paint it, each person looked at the painting of the person next to them and tried to imitate that. What rubbish would you end up with on your paper? If everyone is copying everyone else's sunrise, it will no longer look like a beautiful sunrise. You've lost sight of the beauty.

That's what happens in our lives. We look at what others are painting and what others are doing, and we try to imitate it. But the reality is that our eyes should be fixed on Christ. Our life is to be an imitation of Christ, not an imitation of anybody else.

The remedy: confession

So what is the solution? What is the remedy to this human condition of comparison and of not being ourselves? How do we begin to heal that?

The Church gives us a very practical way to heal this condition, and that way is confession.

Confession is one of the few times when you are truly who you are. It is the time when you are not pretending to be anybody other than who you are. You expose yourself before God in the presence of the priest, and you are who you are: raw, honest and without masks or pretending.

As Scripture says, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16). And Christ gave His apostles the authority to forgive sins in His name (John 20:21–23).

Confession takes us back to being who we are meant to be. The entry into the kingdom, as our Lord put it, is simple: to be like a child.

What does a child do? A lot of bad things. What does a child not do? A child is never anything other than themselves.

God wants us to be who we are. If you are a mother, God wants you to be a good mother. If you are a father, God wants you to be a good father. If you are a student, God wants you to be a good student.

If you are in tribulation, God wants you to be joyful and to carry your tribulation with contentment and faith. Scripture tells us to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2), and to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).

God wants us to be us in our own circumstances: not looking to anybody else, not wishing for anything else, but to be who we are meant to be.

The confession of a seven-year-old

There is a famous story about the Catholic saint Thomas Aquinas, a 13th-century theologian who is considered one of the greatest theologians of the Western Church.

When he was dying, he saw his priest for his last confession. The priest came out crying and said, "I have just heard the confession of a seven-year-old child." He was speaking about Thomas Aquinas, the greatest theologian of the West.

This is our final call: to leave this world, to enter the kingdom, to return to being a child; to be who we are, to be real, not to compare and not to pretend.

The little doors of the monastery

If you ever visit the monasteries in Egypt, the ancient monastic cells have a very distinct feature. The door to enter any monastic cell is very small. A normal door today is at least 1.8 or 1.9 metres high, allowing you to walk through comfortably. But the monastic door might be less than one and a half metres high.

So why did they create these little doors? Because every time they entered their cell, they had to bend down. And again, they became like a child. It was a constant reminder that we are to return to being like children to enter into God's kingdom.

Glory be to God forever. Amen.

Parish life

Servants Day

We are excited to announce our first St John's Servants Day: a special opportunity to come together in fellowship, be refreshed in God's Word, and encourage one another in our service.

This day is open to everyone who serves in any capacity at St John's Church, no matter how big or small your role may be!

To help us make the most of our time together, this will be a child-free event, with the exception of babies under 1 year of age. If you're unable to arrange care for your children, the organisers can provide details of some youth from St Mark's Church who offer babysitting services. Alternatively, parents are welcome to tag-team throughout the day if needed.

Registration was through an online form (one registration per person, $40 per person) and closed on Wednesday 15 July. Ask at the church office or through the St John's app about future Servants Days.

Notices

Upcoming Census: important information

What is the National Census?

A survey that counts everyone living in Australia and collects basic information about people and households. The next one will be in August this year.

What is the Census religion question?

An optional question that asks people to choose the religion they identify with, or "no religion" if that applies.

Why does it matter to specify "Coptic Orthodox"?

It helps the government better understand our community and make informed policy and funding decisions.

How can my family be counted?

When filling out the Census form:

1. Answer the religion question.
2. Do not tick any boxes.
3. Go down to "Other".
4. Write "COPTIC ORTHODOX".