So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.

Christopher Reeve

When the church is seen to move straight from worship of the God we see in Jesus to making a difference and effecting much-needed change in the real world; when it becomes clear that the people who feast at Jesus’ table are the ones in the forefront of work to eliminate hunger and famine; when people realize that those who pray for the Spirit to work in and through them are the people who seem to have extra resources of love and patience in caring for those whose lives are damaged, bruised, and shamed, then it is…natural for people…to recognize that something is going on that they want to be part of.

N. T. Wright, in Surprised by Hope:
Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection,
and the Mission of the Church

Our entire life together as members of the church can be interpreted as a kind of participation in the life of Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit. Our fellowship (koinonia) is a participation in the eternal communion of the Father, Son and Spirit, in which we share through Christ.

Our service (diakonia) to others is an extension of the life and service of this fellowship we have been drawn into. Our worship (leiturgia) becomes our sharing in the Yes that Jesus Christ has spoken and continues to speak in our flesh to God on our behalf.

Michael Jinkins,
Invitation to Theology

Arthur Burns, a Jewish economist of great influence in Washington during the tenure of several Presidents, was once asked to pray at a gathering of evangelical politicians. Stunning his hosts, he prayed thus:
“Lord, I pray that Jews would come to know Jesus Christ. And I pray that Buddhists would come to know Jesus Christ. And I pray that Muslims would come to know Jesus Christ.”

And then, most stunning of all: “And Lord, I pray that Christians would come to know Jesus Christ.” Such a good prayer, I’ve started praying it myself.

Mark Buchanan,
in Christianity Today, February 2008

There’s the rub; an icon can far too easily become an idol. Idols always bring disaster to the idolater. An icon is an open door to the Creator; when it becomes an idol, the door slams in your face.

Madeleine L’Engle

Some men see things as they are and ask “Why?” Others dream things that never were and ask “Why not?”

George Bernard Shaw