PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

October 2, 2022

CELEBRATION OF A LIFE

Saturday afternoon and evening, September 17, Diane and I were in Cleveland, Ohio, for the celebration of the life of John William Hogsett.  John was the only son of my cousin Bill and his wife Annie.  The celebration was held on the grounds’ of Bill’s home which has a magnificent view of Lake Erie and features well -manicured gardens.  There was an abundance of conversation, refreshments, and music.

Around 5:00 P.M. Bill expressed his gratitude for all of us who had come and invited us to share our recollections about John.  I had only met John several times over the years.  For me he will always be associated with Birkenstock.  This is what he was selling when I stayed with Bill and Annie when I visited a member of the Kendallville United Methodist church who was having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

A number of John’s friends shared memories of him on the 17^th.  They gave flesh and spirit to the multiple-seasons of a life well lived, whose obituary had been written by Annie.   John brought passion and enthusiasm to whatever he did. To his friends John was known as “Hogsett.”  One of them had a hard time remembering his name but knew it was an animal and a verb.  People were continually amazed by the breadth and depth of the friendships John had.  “Hogsett” was the connecting link for a broad swath of the Cleveland area.

The two dominate figures in the Book of Acts are Peter and Paul.  However, there is a third person who seems to be a connecting link for the whole book: Barnabas.  He was a part of the early Christian community in Jerusalem.  It was there he met Peter.  We read of piety and generosity in Acts 4:36-37: “There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’).  He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”    After his Damascus road experience, Paul was taken under Barnabas’ wing and introduced him to Peter and the Jerusalem Christian community.

“Hogsett” served as a Barnabas for Cleveland.  John brought people together; he was generous with his time and resources; and he was an encouragement to all those whom he met.  A common question among his friends was “How do you know ‘Hogsett’?” Even in death “Hogsett” continued to connect people.  When we first arrived at the celebration, we met a lady who had grown up near where we were staying.  During the sharing time we were sitting at a table with a lady and her husband.  She had been a friend of Bill’s when they were growing up.  We discovered that they now live in South Bend which is not far from where Diane and I live.

People like Barnabas and “Hogsett” are important to the health and vitality of any community.  Very often they remain somewhat in the background.  Nevertheless, they have the gift of bringing people together.  They are glue that holds things together and the lubricant that allows them to function. The diversity of people who attended the celebration/open house on September 17 was a testimony to the importance they have.

Before September 17^th I just knew John Hogsett as my first cousin once removed who was in sales.  Now I know him as “Hogsett,” a modern day Barnabas.