Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Late last night I heard from a friend that Mayor Rick Hogaboam had died shockingly. I came to know Rick online 18 years ago. He had moved to Idaho after we left and was pastoring a church that our friends were at. We traded emails on theology and church life for several years and briefly blogged together. When my Mom died I was able to meet him in person and he came to her funeral which I deeply appreciated. Several times I had family or friends in need in Idaho and passed their information along to him, and he would jump to help them as much as he could. He often jokingly said we should move back to Idaho, and I regret that our time there did not coincide with his.
As with many online connections we didn’t write as much when the world transitioned to social media. Instead I looked at his pictures and updates and gave them a like. He moved into politics and served his community. I am deeply cynical about clergy and I think we all are about politicians, but I realize today that he was a shining counterexample to my cynicism. I wasn’t in his church and didn’t see him in political action, but even from a distance the man exuded character, charity, and wisdom. He was deeply theological but charitable about it, never the typical angry Reformed guy. His family was the center of his life. He loved Jesus. He loved others.
Today I looked back at some of our interactions and some things that he said stood out to me:
I am a catholic (adjectival) and therefore love seeing Christ-loving, Bible-carrying, God-glorifying believers, no matter what sector they come from.
I don’t want to be a ‘niche’ church but a truly ‘catholic’ church.
I have always been a work in progress on a host of issues, but am firmly settled on what needs to be settled. I’m grateful for ministering in an environment that allows me the freedom of developing my theology on certain things.
…the church’s witness must be more missional, thicker-skinned, radical hospitality, etc.
If anything, my pilgrimage has taught me humility as I have dear friends in various traditions. I also consider precious church unity. I am always telling people that I want to be known as a Christian and gracious Evangelical. I use the Reformed distinctive for information only to those who even know what that means.
At the end of the day, I try to adapt the best of all traditions.
And when I was talking to him about the grief of loss he said, “…grief was new for me in the loss of grandparents. We shall all be united shortly, could be today.”
Could be today. For him, that day was yesterday—far too young.
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