trains

My father was a “lifer” on the railroad along with all four of his brothers, so as a child I learned the love and the language of trains and the systems within which they run. I knew the schedules, the sounds and smells and could identify the rail system of any engine or caboose by its colors and insignia.
When our family would plan a vacation, old-fashion steam trains were high on the priority list of things to do. On several memorial occasions we rode behind those smoke belching monsters on short excursions through the countryside. The boys were absolutely at the height of excitement …what could be more fun than a real steam train….the girls were busy brushing the cinders off their dresses wondering if something was going to explode or catch fire.
I remember vividly the sense of awe I felt standing beside the locomotives looking at the enormous steel drive wheels. A little smug in my superior knowledge, I would ask my younger siblings to show me the “ the force that drives this train”, and they would almost always point to those massive wheels. But even as a child I knew better. Inside the cab were the doors to the firebox and the enormous boilers, ……..I had watched as the coal was shoveled into the fire box, and heard the explosive release of steam pressure through relief valves. That big engine could pull the train only because of the fire in its belly.
The prayer offerings of the faithful …, this is the fire that empowers the church and the real source of its effectiveness. The visible machinery of program and public events are only “ministry” in the actual sense of the word if covered and empowered by prayer. Like my young siblings , distracted by impressive machinery, many people will never see or understand what really drives the church.