". . . and he said, "I am the Good Shepherd . . ."

What's New At The Sheepfold?

February, 1999

We have lost a treasure.

Our dear Father Hewitt died on January 25, and we will all miss him so much. He and his life were an inspiration to the rest of us.

Have you ever thought about what it means to die? On TV and in the movies they always talk about dying in big black letters, like it is something terrible and horrible, something we need to try and avoid at all costs! Dying has gotten an awful lot of bad publicity. Well, I don't think of dying like that at all.

I think dying is like being born. Before you were born and your Mom was carrying you inside her, you thought you had it made. You were always warm, fed and comfortable; you knew who your Mom and probably your Dad were, even though you could only hear them and not see them. But once you are born it gets so much better! You can not only hear and see your Mom and Dad, now you can feel their hugs and their kisses; you can talk right to them and let them know what you think about and how you feel. Now you can really taste that chocolate fudge ice cream and feel the warm sun on a summer day! I think that is what happens when you die. It's kind of like moving. Any kind of change is always a bit scary, but when your body dies and you go to live with God then you can really talk to him and get to know him and see him for real. And I just know that heaven is way better than even Gaylord during Alpenfest.

So you see when someone dies, it isn't them that we are feeling bad for. It is ourselves, because it is not yet our turn and we know it will be quite a while before we get to see that person again. Of course we will miss them terribly, but we will see them again. We have that assurance directly from Jesus.

Do you remember last April when we talked about Joy? About Joy being a way of life. That it comes from living your life with God at the center. How it is a permanent thing that depends on faith and trust in Jesus. It is a feeling of peace and security that comes from knowing that God is in control and that he is always there to help you and protect you. He will never let you down.

Well that was Father Hewitt's life. He lived it with J-O-Y! Joy in the Lord JESUS. Joy in OTHERS. And Joy in HIMSELF. That is what JOY is all about: Jesus, Others, You. If you remember to keep things in the right order: first, Jesus; then, others; and then, you; you are living with JOY.

In order to do this we have to trust in Jesus completely. You need to give your heart to Him. Try to live your life in Joy for Jesus. And if you mess it up sometimes, which you will, we all do; then just start again. Tell Him you are sorry, ask for help and start over. He is always there to pick you up for another try. He will NEVER not love you.

I hope to see on this next Sunday. Have a wonderful week. Remember: Jesus loves you and so do I. (share a smile!)

Love,
Elaine