The Little Engine of Bethlehem
The shepherds lay in the fields, keeping watch
over their flocks. The Angel of the
Lord appeared to them and they were afraid. And
the angel said, "Do not be afraid, for I bring you tidings of great joy.
This night, in the city of David, a savior is born, 'tis
Chri..." Unexpectedly, the angel
was distracted by the cheery whistle of a passing freight train.
Or so it came to pass during my 3-year old's pre-school Christmas pageant. When the doors opened, a dozen little ones gazed out in amazement at the collection of parents who'd come to see the production. The shepherds were sheepish, the angels all too angelic, and Joseph sported the confidence of a seasoned actor. Amidst all the robes and halos was one small boy adorned in a Spiderman backpack he claimed was his freight car, which he, the big engine, was pulling. The engine took his place with the shepherds, and tooted his whistle confidently as the story went on around him.
The teacher had previously announced there would
be an engine in the morning's happening. A
fact which surprised no one who knew my son. You
see, he knows nothing of shepherds, and there aren't all that many
angels in his world. But he has
come to know steam engines. They
are strong and useful and make joyful noises by design.
There is no greater honor my son can bestow than to
consider you an engine. He has
named each of us, family, friends, and those he holds dear with our
"engine names", and we wear them proudly.
In his own way I believe he was honoring the
Christmas story. After all, to his
mind any story would be enriched by a train. He
is a small boy. He has no gifts to
lay before the king. But maybe if
Joseph and Mary hopped a train, they just might get to Bethlehem in
time to get a room at the inn.
I beamed through the performance.
That's my boy up there.