October 15, 2013
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Who knew that such good preaching illustrations could come out of the American Bar Association?
My thanks go to John Cook - church member, attorney, and Pancake Race Poo-Bah, for giving me an article posted five days ago on the ABA website with the deliciously intriguing lead sentence: “An Ohio man who appeared in court on Monday is legally dead, a judge has ruled.”
Here's the story. Donald Miller disappeared from his home in 1986, and eight years later was declared deceased, so that his spouse and children could begin receiving Social Security death benefits. Now, nearly thirty years later, Miller has re-emerged, explaining that his disappearance was a result of desperation, fueled by alcoholism and the loss of his job. He returned to a rather shocked (ex-)wife and children, and was hoping to get back his social security number and driver’s license so that he could attempt to resume his life.
However, as the lead sentence suggests, proving your alive to the public is one thing; proving it to the law is quite another.
I won’t get into the incredibly interesting legal dimensions to the case, which you can read for yourself. [1] What I’m interested in is the full range of reactions by legal people across the country, who offered over one hundred comments on the ABA website in just two days since the news broke.
· The comments ranged from the legal: “It seems to me the legal presumption of death is trumped by the actual appearance of a live person, at least insofar as third party rights are not affected. See eg Scott v McNeal 154 US 34 (1894)” – from “Andrew” (October 10, 3:45pm)
· To the pop-cultural: “I believe the judge failed to follow well established precedent set forth in Monty Python v. The Holy Grail, (1975) …. As noted therein, even if someone says you’re dead, if you say you’re not dead, it is against regulations to rule you as deceased.” – from “MJnevetS” (October 11, 5:09am)
· To the apocalyptic: “So basically he is now legally a zombie?” –from “Tino” (October 11, 4:55am)
· To the political: “I wonder if ObamaCare’s individual mandate applies to a legally dead person, or for that matter an un-dead person?” – from “Yankee” (October 10, 5:06pm)
· To the pseudo-religious: “Perhaps he can go back and be “born again.” – from “B. McLeod” (October 11, 7:29am)
· To the comical: “Is Miller related to Shirley MacLaine?” – from “Pushkin” (October 10, 1:57pm)
· To the downright plain-spoken: “Sigh. Once again, COMMON SENSE, R.I.P.” – from “JimB” (October 10, 9:26)
No matter how this eventually shakes out for Mr. Donald Miller and his family, one thing is certain: Sometimes, it can be easier to pretend that you’re dead than to prove that you’re alive!
DISCIPLE’S PATH: PRESENCE
Our membership vows offer a very clear, five-fold way of proving that we are spiritually alive. And second only to “Prayers,” we commit ourselves to “Presence.” In other words, we simply show up. After all, when Jesus wanted to prove to his disciples that he was alive following the resurrection, he made his presence known to them (John 20). And when early Methodists showed up for their annual meetings, John Wesley initiated the custom of having them sing his brother Charles’ hymn “And are We Yet Alive?” which we still sing at Annual Conferences today.
It’s a very basic idea: if you want to prove to yourself, to God, and to others that you are spiritually alive, don’t run and hide. Don’t be a religious hermit. Don’t try to go it alone. You have to show up: in Sunday morning worship, in Bible study groups, and by joining with others in ministries of service and witness. Make your presence known.
That’s what our next stop on A Disciple’s Path is all about, and we invite you to join us on Sunday morning for a sermon called “The Power of Presence,” followed by one of five weekly small groups that will explore the topic further using the daily workbook. To date, we have over seventy persons taking part in these groups, and it is exciting to see how the Spirit is moving through our recommitment to Christ and the church.
A COLUMBUS DAY POEM
Finally, in a completely unrelated matter: Yesterday, driving back from Sioux City from a hospital visit, I thought about our country’s observance of Columbus Day at a time when our people are so polarized and our politics are so broken. The following verses came to me during that long drive, which I offer to you as an encouragement to pray for our leaders, our country, and our future together:
In Honor of Columbus Day, 2013
In Fourteen Hundred Ninety-Two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
As land approached, his ship drew near
Then what did he discover here?
Wild lobbyists roamed all around
As leaders shut the country down.
They shouted blame and dished out fault
While debts grew closer to default.
The people craved civility
But got more inequality.
Columbus surveyed the terrain,
Then said, “Uh, let’s go back to Spain.”
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
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