My brother once had an electric train when I was about seven years old and he was eleven. The train was set up in the basement on large sheets of plywood. It had multiple switches, and an ever growing “layout” that fascinated me. I wasn’t allowed to touch the train, but I often visited it in the cellar. For Burr’s birthday and for Christmas I went to the hobby store and poured over the plastic trees and a bench to be placed in his layout. It’s likely that he never cared for them as much as I did.

When my husband Jack ‘s parents retired to Florida they gave us the family electric train, a 1950’s American Flyer with more track than we could use, and lots of cars, and a tunnel. We eventually assembled it at Christmas time and our daughter was delighted. Since then it has been part of our ritual to “put up the train” around Christmas time. This year we will add a feature that I had never seen before. It is a black and white cow that walks onto the track, causing the the train to stop, then slowly backs off the track again. The novelty of it inspired both Jack and me to add it to the layout.

The project has grown to include houses and a church, a school, people, a skating rink, and a sledding hill. Our grandchildren help put it together, and it has become a tradition. It brings to life an imaginary world, that reminds me of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books.

It was by stories that Jesus revealed his Father’s kingdom to the people of Israel. In stories he taught about justice and mercy. He displayed the enduring love of God in the Prodigal Son, the reality of a “neighbor” in the Good Samaritan, the assurance of justice in the “Unjust Judge,” and the conscientiousness of the five virgins out of the ten, who brought enough lamp oil to the wedding. These are only a few of Jesus’ stories, but they form avenues by which we come to know their Creator.

The imagination is a powerful gift from God. It enables us to understand things we have not actually experienced,and to perceive meaning in the things that we do experience. Jesus asked us to use our imagination when he talked about God’s “Judgment”: I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. . . Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Mathew 25:36)

There is truth in all of God’s stories.

Love in Him,

Prue