Breakfast on the Morning Tram

I'm a big fan of jazz singer Stacey Kent.  If you like coffeehouse music, give her a try; I find myself noticeably relaxing every time I hear her.  Music has such an amazing power!

One of her best albums is Breakfast on the Morning Tram.  The title track depicts a (fictional, so far as I can determine) train that serves breakfast.  When I first heard the song, I was struck by how the image it presents is something that is very attractive, a place where we'd like to be.  Here are the lyrics:

So here you are in this city with a shattered heart, it seems
Though when you arrived you thought you'd have the holiday of your dreams
You'd cry yourself to sleep if you could but you've been awake all night
Well here's something that you need to do at the first hint of morning light

Walk right across the deserted city to the Boulevard Amsterdam
And wait there for what the citizens here refer to as the Breakfast Tram

Climb on board; you'll soon manage to find at the far end of the carriage
The most wonderful buffet
There's everything you'd want to eat; you can take a feast back to your seat
Whatever you can fit onto your tray
And the mist on the windows will start to fade as the sun climbs higher in the sky
And you can sit back with your café au lait while outside the waking city clatters by
So things didn't quite meet expectations, but you're bound to conclude upon reflection
There's no reason you should give a (care)
Just treat yourself to a cinnamon pancake, very soon you'll forget your heartache
When you have breakfast on the morning tram

It'll be quite quiet when you first get on, but as that tram keeps moving along
It'll fill with people starting on their day
They'll be laughing and joking as they eat, they'll be passing plates along the seats
Your night of heartache will soon seem far away
And even though you're a stranger they'll make you feel right at home

They'll be offering to refill your coffee; they won't have you sitting there alone
They've seen many others just like you, and each one of them has had it happen too
So just enjoy your scrambled eggs and ham
Treat yourself to a cinnamon pancake, very soon you'll forget your heartache
When you have breakfast on the morning tram
 
So just enjoy your fresh croissant and jam and don't neglect the Belgian waffles
You'll soon forget your troubles
When you have breakfast on the morning tram

In the beginning the singer is disillusioned and broken, the expectations of happiness and fulfillment left empty.  Doesn't our world do the same thing?  It offers everything, so it seems; if you wear the right clothes, you'll be happy; if you get the right job, you'll be happy; if you get the right cell phone, or car, or friends, you'll be happy.  But ultimately we realize that it's all a lie, and a lot of those things are actually harmful to us.  We are betrayed by the things that we thought were supposed to make us happy.

What if we were able to come to a place where we are accepted in our pain?  Where people were unpretentious in understanding the reality of our situation?  A place that welcomed us, and brought us to the table of sharing?  What a relief that would be, what a joy! 

What if our churches actually became that place?  What if we became healers of the heart, rather than judgmental and exclusive?  If you read through the gospels, you'll be struck how many stories about Jesus involve a meal of some sort.  There is something very special about sharing a meal with people, something that connects us deeply with each other.  Jesus shared meals with people all the time, and I think we would realize some profound things if we would do the same.

I like the image of a train.  A train is not static; it goes places.  In the same vein, the church should not stand still (scriptural metaphors to the contrary notwithstanding).  The church should be active, reaching out to the community, at the same time working fervently and simply being – being whole, being at peace, being satisfied in the blessings of God our Father.  As we work and have our identity in him, our train rolls on toward our final destination – an eternal banquet.