Boys and their Toys

One of the questions that I get asked from time to time is, what is it about clergymen and model railways? Go to any model railway show, talk to any group of clergy and you are almost bound to find at least one railway enthusiast among them, to a disproportionate degree. There are many theories why, often connected to the particular interest that the clergy person has. There is an element of predestination among those with a particular interest in signaling. There is the creativity among those with an ecological outlook. There is a fascination with the idea of spiritual gifts among those with an interest in rolling stock but then there could just be the fact that for six days out of seven they are always around people, ministering to people and the idea of just going off by yourself to recharge your batteries in your own wee world appeals.
I was thinking about this yesterday because a neighbour had a friend visiting who is a railway enthusiast and so I invited them to join me at the Perth Model Railway Club. I said to my neighbour that I would gather some stuff together so that we could run a variety of things on one of the club layouts.
I then gathered up a variety of trains that I have in their own separate stock boxes with their appropriate engines. A short freight with a small shunting tank engine, a slow freight with a different engine, this time with a tender but with small wheels to pull heavy loads. Express freight with a larger tender engine still and then both local and express passenger trains. All the engines were quite different and all were used for different tasks, to help keep the railway going and to fulfill all the needs that existed. I think I have around 18 classes of locomotive now which can be grouped into about 6 broad categories of task.
It reminds me of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians when he writes that Christ is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church. We are not all glamorous express engines, or humble shunters, we all have different gifts, different skills none more important than another in order to do the work of the church and to build it up just as each engine was important because it fulfilled a requirement on the railways.
So where are your gifts, what have you to offer the church in order to build it up? Every one of us is important in their own way in order for us to be a strong and vibrant church do not think you are not important and do not have anything to offer for we all have gifts to bring before our God.

This site uses cookies. Find out more about this site’s cookies.