Simeon took the child (Jesus) in his arms and praised God, saying,

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared for all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!” – Luke 2

TRAINS: I’ve always loved trains. Trains are loaded with an intrinsic romanticism, a deep mystique, a sense of story and adventure. To me, trains look like an invitation. Trains say, “Climb on board; I’ll take you to see a world you have only dreamed of.”

Of course, I grew up in a culture where trains linked almost every town and village in the United Kingdom. In my community there were several train stations, and two were within short walking distance of my house. You could take a train down to the docks; you could continue another six miles up the coast to Dover; you could find spurs to just about anywhere.

When we went to London, it was almost always by train. Either the “fast” train that stopped once – at Sevenoaks – and made it into Charing Cross (Trafalger Square) in less than 90-minutes, or the “slow” train that slowed down for close to ten stops and took at least an hour longer.

One of my best train rides travelled the length of England, chugged deep into Scotland, and came to a rest in Inverness, having wound its way through breathtaking vistas in the Highlands (think Hogwarts Express). Another time, Rebekah and I enjoyed a long full-service evening meal with my parents in the restaurant car while gliding through the Lake Country in Northern England, an experience evocative of something from the movies, elegant travelers riding the Orient Express.

Somehow over the years – and long before Tom Hanks rode The Polar Express – trains became an integral element of Christmas decorating. Train ornaments, train tracks around the tree, trains on the mantel. I’m not sure if they made their way into the scheme as presents under the tree, via literature, tied in with nostalgia, because they’re simply being too big to wrap, or as an illustration of good theology.

For me, it’s always theology (“God-thought”). Trains speak to the journey, the adventure, the invitation, the catch-your-breath excitement of the pilgrimage that is a life of faith.

“The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.” – Exodus 13:21

“All aboard!” It’s almost Christmas. Don’t miss the ride!

– DEREK