I was once acquainted with a smart, sports-loving (mostly soccer and rugby) British man who worked for NATO. We spent a good amount of time in his den watching English rugby on a large flatscreen television. He greatly enjoyed explaining to his uninitiated American friend all the finer points of how a scrum works. He was animated and passionate, but with a reserved dignity that only our friends from across the pond can pull off. I listened with genuine interest and thoroughly enjoyed every detailed breakdown of how the game worked. I came to not only relish this guy’s company but respect his take on life. He ended up being one of three lay mentors that helped me take a group of teens on pilgrimage to the UK’s holy sites as the culmination of their high school confirmation course. In preparation for the trip we considered various itineraries and modes of transport. At one point he turned to me and said, “Trains are a dignified way to travel.” To be honest, I had never thought about it in quite that way before. But he was right, there is something especially good about taking the train.

On the great continent of North America the car is king. Our modern country itself was birthed by and with the automobile. Many grew up going to drive-in diners and drive-in movie theaters, and were shaped by films like American Graffiti. The car is part of our culture, yet it has limitations. Cars are fast, dangerous (statistically), expensive, and socially isolating. You can zip here and there and home again before you know it, but without really seeing or interacting with anyone. A train, by contrast, is a different proposition. Trains are not fast, but rather slow and often somewhat “boring.” They’re frequently filled with a variety of people, some going in the same direction as you, many headed for other destinations. Some with stories to tell, others who prefer to sit quietly and watch the outside world drift slowly by. There is a beauty and a dignity to train travel. A writer of a recent article on this topic said trains give you “what roads cannot teach: intimacy with strangers, the weight of history, and time slowed down.”

When you take a train you’re choosing to enter into another category, another mode. You’re opting into an unhurried experience of the world with strangers and their unique stories, with the environment passing by like an unbroken movie reel of scenes, punctuated by the staccato clickety-clack of the rails letting you know that this is a journey and not merely a destination. There are things to be gleaned. Deep breaths to be taken. Beauty to be relished. Time to be sanctified with appreciation for the moment and those with whom you share it.

For these reasons – and more – I love train travel, and find it to be not dissimilar to the church. On the surface, to some, it may seem antiquated and outdated, but it’s not. Once you’re in the door and have chosen to spend time in this way a treasure trove of blessings unfold before you. The holiness and truth and grace of scripture reaches into your heart. The people around you share their stories and their love. The old hymns envelope you with history and beauty. The potluck meal shared around tables becomes a kind of second Communion. Church gives you what the world cannot: spiritual depth of fellowship with strangers, the weight and benefit of history and tradition, and time slowed down enough to breath in the Holy Spirit.

St Aidan’s has been just such a faithful church all these years, since our first meeting in Stanwood in 1959. Our church has stood with open arms to all who would come through our doors to find rest and renewal in Christ Jesus. As we write the next chapter of St Aidan’s history as a loving, Episcopal community on a unique journey with Jesus we have the opportunity to do so as a parish church. Your presence on this journey to becoming a parish is invaluable. Now that we have the “go ahead” from the Bishop, it’s time to have a meeting of the entire congregation. Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 21st. It will be a joyful day with worship at 9:00, our congregational meeting at 10:00, and a potluck at 11:00. Hope to see you on the train!

Blessings to you this September.

Yours in Christ,
Drew+