SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2008

THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY

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Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

A newspaper reporter right out of college was given a bizarre assignment from his city editor: He was instructed to go and interview a dead man. That’s right. A dead man.

And it turned out to be a front page story.

The man who “died” was in great form. Full of great quotes. Full of amazing insights. Full of unusual information. In short, the dead man was full of life.

Now, what actually occurred was that the man who died was a Vietnam veteran who had been injured in the war. For the next 10 years, he received monthly disability benefits from the federal government. Just like clockwork, the benefit checks showed up in his mailbox shortly after the first of each month. And then one day he got a letter from the Veterans Administration informing him of his own death. As a result of his death, he would no longer receive his monthly benefits. Effective immediately.

At first it was funny. But then it became serious.

The man made scores of telephone calls, wrote letters, mailed photographs, and even showed up in person at the VA office, trying to correct the mistake. No one would believe him. No matter how hard he tried, the mighty machinery of the federal government kept grinding away, refusing to admit it had made a mistake. According to government records, the man was dead. Period. It took six full months and the intervention of two U.S. senators to correct the error.

Asked how he felt about the situation, the man replied: “Frustrated! How would you feel if you had to prove that you’re alive?”

Let’s ask that question another way, as we move this week into the Season of Lent: If you were arrested and charged with being an atheist, what evidence could you produce to prove your innocence?

-- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers +