Sermon Illustrations
2000 Brand New, Shiny, Wrong-sized Trains
Note to self: When ordering an entire nation's worth of new trains, make sure they're the right size. That message came too late for the country of France, who recently placed an order for 2000 new trains … that are too wide for their platforms. The faux pas has cost the nation over 64 million dollars so far—a number that is expected to climb as more platforms are found that need to be altered.
It was a small mistake to begin with—an oversight that measured the width of modern platforms, but not those of the many rural stations that were built over 50 years ago, and to different dimensions. A small mistake on paper, but uncaught has become an extremely expensive (not to mention embarrassing) blunder.
Possible Preaching Angle:
What small mistake in your life, or our life as a church, if ignored or unchecked, can lead to difficult problems down the line? Introspect now. Look at your life carefully. That's (hopefully) the ticket for a smooth journey later.