…You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:14

Seventy-two years ago, this past weekend the Orson Welles radio drama War of the Worlds premiered as a Halloween special on the CBS radio network. The hour-long show was a series of simulated news bulletins that “interrupted” the usual programming to detail an alien invasion in Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, a small farming community just outside of Princeton. From the landing of an alien ship and the deployment and massacre of the New Jersey state militia to the ultimate invasion and destruction of New York City by the superior firepower of the Martian army; the broadcast provided “live” coverage in a way that was very realistic to the unsuspecting audience.

Although there were three reminders throughout the broadcast that it was fictional, many people tuned in late and missed the critical disclaimers. In the turbulent years before World War II when radio was a fairly new medium many people unquestioningly accepted the broadcast as fact.

All across the United States, listeners reacted. Thousands of people called local radio stations, police and newspapers. Many on the east coast, particularly in New Jersey panicked, loaded up their cars and fled their homes. In other areas, people went to churches to pray or gathered to wait for the end of the world.

Several years ago, I heard an interview with the son of a hard-bitten cantankerous New Jersey judge who lived some 20 miles from Princeton. Upon hearing a portion of the fake news broadcast, he drove over to his brother’s house to be reconciled after years of estrangement. The brothers and their families sat together in the back of their suburban yard and “confessed their sins to each other” so they would be ready for the end. Upon learning that the broadcast was a hoax, the man promptly loaded up his family and drove home. He never spoke of the event again.

This past Sunday night I was sitting in the church van up at Dulles airport waiting for the GLCC England team to get through customs so I could take them home. As I sat in the cell phone waiting area, I listened to the entire War of the World’s broadcast on public radio. It was difficult for me, spoiled by years of TV and computer graphics to imagine that such a broadcast could be taken seriously, even though it is well documented that hundreds of thousands of people did.

It did get me thinking about unfinished business. If you had certain knowledge that this was your last day on earth, what would I do? Are there any phone calls you would make, relationships that you would mend or situations that you would resolve? What regrets would you have? Who would you wish you had shared your faith with? Would you express love to your spouse or children in a more meaningful way? Do you have unfinished business?

Fortunately, I can pretty much assure you that the chances of alien invasion and the destruction of planet earth are relatively small. But then again, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, so why wait until it’s too late? Sometimes pride, procrastination and distraction keep us from doing that which is most important.

Do you have any unfinished business?