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Message from Pastor Marty

Postal Crisis

By Pastor Peter Marty

I have been accumulating old, unused sheets of first-class stamps ever since email took over my life. The stamps carry different values, including some one- and two-cent stamp sheets. One entire sheet has no monetary value whatsoever imprinted on any stamp. I don’t know what they’re worth. All they say is “2006 First Class” beneath a picture of a little dove.

My wife, Susan, was gracious enough to help me sort through these stamps and pair up combinations that would add up to the current 42-cent first-class rate. But what about those little doves? She put the post office on her errand list. The Davenport Post Office wasn’t in the cards. It is drowning, surrounded by sandbags and people boating in the parking lot. Bettendorf was the next best option.

When Susan got to the postal counter in Bettendorf, she inquired about the value of those unmarked 2006 stamps. The clerk took one look and chuckled. “I have no idea,” she said, inspecting the fine print. She called over Bob at the next counter to see if he knew the value of the little dove birds. “I’ll have to check in the book,” he said, grabbing for the postal rate book. Now we had two postal workers good-naturedly investigating the crisis of old, unpriced stamps. Bob couldn’t find those doves pictured anywhere in the rate book, so he called over Marty, the third clerk working behind the desk. Marty laughed and joked about the need to survey the mailroom. He reached for another binder. This one was the hefty five-pounder. “We’ll figure this out,” he said, thumbing through the pages.

The line of customers was growing. Davenport people were pouring in. Susan Marty, on behalf of her husband, had log-jammed the place. A family friend, fourth in line, piped up: “What is this, Susan Marty? You’ve got three folks working for you and we don’t have any.” Susan laughed, feeling both helpless and amused. Finally, the three clerks smiled and announced their consensus. “It looks like 39 cents.” She thanked them warmly, bought some three-cent stamps, and left. Let’s hope their verdict is correct.

Let’s hope the flood waters recede soon also, before another post office goes under. How much more can this dear state of Iowa take? We’re only 139 days shy of Noah’s record troubles ending: “At the end of 150 days, the waters abated” (Genesis 8:3). For eleven days now, Iowa cities have been drowning in muddy river water.

If you continue reading the Genesis account in scripture, you will find actual record of the inspiration for eventual stamp design at the U.S. Postal Service: “Noah sent forth a dove, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground, but the dove found no place to set her foot, so she returned to the ark.” (Genesis 8:9). The dove must have been Noah’s sense of a good courier. To borrow from the unofficial motto of today’s postal service: “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night can stay this courier from the swift completion of its appointed rounds.” The rain phrase may need to be removed, but a dove can apparently get just about anywhere.

The Genesis flood story continues: “Noah waited another seven days …sent forth the dove, and this time the dove came back to him, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf.” (Genesis 8:11). Ah, we breathe peace. No more flooding. It’s over. God pledges to work with Noah and the people in their clean-up efforts.

“Then Noah waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him anymore.” (Genesis 8:12). This last verse has me eager to test scripture. Here’s my plan. I’m going to use one of my “2006 First Class” dove stamps this week. If the letter returns to me, I’ll know that 39 cents was the wrong verdict. If it never returns to me, I’ll know some postal worker in hip-waders did another amazing day’s work.

Pastor Peter W. Marty,

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