THE GOSPEL TRAIN [F, 3-16-18]

 Reflections on Faith & Life for the Years of Winter…

Trains have always been an image for life and Christian faith, at least as long as there have been trains.

Life is like a mountain railroad

With an engineer who’s brave

We must make this run successful

From the cradle to the grave

Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels

Never falter, never quail

Keep your hand upon the throttle

And your eye upon the rail

REFRAIN:

Blessed savior, thou wilt guide us

Till we reach the blissful shore

Where the angels wait to join us

In thy praise for evermore

[There are three more verses that fill out the whole railroad journey.]

Our pastor, Jimmy Moore, used a very helpful railroad image as Bob Epps lead our Lenten Bible study at St Mark’s UMC on “The Song of the Vineyard,” in Isaiah 5:1-7.

Someone asked about people who don’t acknowledge God. Not just theoretical atheists, but “practical atheists,” the vast majority of people who are not aware of the “thin places” in the universe where we actually experience God, who are not aware of the action of God in the world, who do not even consider God unless something bad happens.

Jimmy said that with a train, it’s not about who’s on board, but where the train is going.

I find that to be a very helpful image of the Kingdom of God, a train that is going toward its destination regardless. We can get on board or not, but the train keeps going.

Still, I like to sing as we go along, “Get on board, little children, get on board, little children, get on board, little children, there’s room for many a more.”

JRMcF

johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com

“Life’s Railroad to Heaven” was written by Eliza R. Snow and M.E. Abbey.

I think both Madeline L’Engle and CS Lewis spoke of “thin places in the universe.”