"If an earthly king, our emperor,” wrote Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-83), “wrote you a letter, would you not read it with joy? Certainly, with great rejoicing and careful attention.” But what, he asks is our attitude toward the letter that has been addressed to us by no one less than God Himself? “You have been sent a letter, not by an earthly emperor, but by the King of Heaven. And yet you almost despise such a gift, so priceless a treasure.” To open and read this letter, Saint Tikhon adds, is to enter into a personal conversation face-to-face with the living God. “Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you. And while you read, you are praying and talking to Him.”

Such exactly is our Orthodox attitude to the reading of Scripture. I am to see the Bible as God’s personal letter sent specifically to myself. The words are not intended merely for others, far away and long ago, but they are written particularly and directly to me, here and now. Whenever we open our Bible, we are engaging in a creative dialogue with the Savior. In listening, we also respond. “Speak, for Your servant hears,” we reply to God as we read (1 Samuel 3:10); “Here am I” (Isaiah 6:8) -Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia

Please join us as this fall as we continue our study of the Gospel of Luke, resuming with chapter seven. Bible Study meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Atrium of the Hellenic Cultural Center, beginning on Wednesday, October 5. Our discussions seek to understand the Scriptures from a liturgical, ethical, patristic, historical and spiritual point of view, as well as answer questions about Scripture, its understanding within Orthodox Christianity, and its mission to the world, with emphasis on our own Christian conviction.