Something I learned today

I was in a discussion with my priest this morning, and he shared something very profound with me. He told me about one of these big conferences that the bishops and metropolitans have every so often, and I cannot remember the name of the bishop he was referring to (yes I am getting old and I'm tired right now lol) If I had it I would post it here. I hate it when I don't have the name of a source right at my fingertips but I just have to put this in here because not only am I sharing my public faith experience but I'm trying to keep a chronological database of sorts of my journey.

Anyway, when asked to give a one sentence definition of the Bible this man didn't say the typical "Word of God" or "History of God's people, broken out into the Old and New Testaments, or even, "Man's search for God." Yawn.

He said, "It is the search of God for man."
To explain this, he pointed to the book of Genesis 3:8-9
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"


John 19:15-18
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned out and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!"
Jesus said," Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.


The point of this is in the beginning, as man, we hid from God after the fall. After the resurrection, Jesus as God, came looking for us and he found us. Simple and profound, yet very powerful.

"The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn't non-denominational - it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago." Anon.