PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND                                                                                                         

June 25, 2023

GROUNDED

June 11, 2023, was an important landmark for the Hogsett clan.  Our first grandchild, Emma, was married to Caleb Angell at Bentley Farm near Clinton Corners, New York.  The reception was held across the road near a tree that some say was standing during the time of the foundation our nation.  The pastor, Benjamin Palka, and praise team were from Emma’s and Caleb’s home church in Washington, D.C.  Children were everywhere.

I was somewhat concerned when I learned at the rehearsal the pastor was going to use a text from the Book of Revelation for his message.  (He used the 21^st chapter.)  In addition, there were to be readings from the Books of Ezekiel and Daniel, not your normal readings for a wedding.  My concerns were unfounded.  The pastor did an excellent job of placing the marriage of Caleb and Emma within the context of the eternal marriage of Christ and His church.

The two fathers gave prayers during the service.  Our son John offered an opening prayer to ask God’s blessing and to express the joy of the occasion.  Caleb’s father, Tom, offered a prayer of blessing for the couple.  He placed their marriage within the historical context of where the service was taking place.  He included a number of places that had historical significance in the life of the area and the Angell family.  One that I found especially interesting was a house that had been owned by Henry Lyman Morehouse.  Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, is named after him.

In addition to the pastor and the praise team, there were a number of people from Caleb’s and Emma’s home church, King’s Church, DC.  During the reception they took a group picture and were quite active in the dancing.  I even recognized most of the songs the DJ played!!!  Most of the dancers were young people.  A number of Emma’s coworkers were also in attendance.

Both Caleb’s and Emma’s families were well represented.  Caleb has seven married brothers and sisters with children.  All 40+ of them were at the wedding.  Two of his brothers and a friend spoke at the reception.  In the Angell family each of the younger children were assigned an older brother or sister to be their buddy.  The first brother to speak was Caleb’s buddy.

Emma’s aunt and her husband from London, England, had flown across “the pond” to attend the wedding.  There was a number of my daughter-in-law’s family who I had not seen in years. A number of my wife’s relatives from Mississippi and Alabama made the trip north.  For her sister and her husband it was part of an extended 57^th wedding anniversary trip.  My brother from Illinois was able to come.  There was also a group from one of the Indiana churches that my son John has previously pastored.

As Caleb and Emma start their married life together, their union is grounded in the eternal message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the history and traditions of up-state New York and beyond, their church family in Washington, their extended families, their friends,  and their love for each other.   My granddaughter’s wedding is a reminder that all of us may well have the opportunity of helping to ground the union of people we know and love.