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11:35Welcome. Thank you for everyone that came out. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Eric Wydette. I'm Bruce's son, and you'll hear a few words from me today and also from my sisters as we gather today to remember my father. And so, thank you so much for coming. We just want to welcome all of you that came out to celebrate Dad's Life Today, and we have so many people. Joining also on the live stream, his family in Canada, his sisters are able to watch in Canada, his friends and loved ones from Minnesota, from Ohio, from Washington State, and states all over the United States that have contacted and wanted to be part of this virtually. So we're thankful that we're able to do that here and to share that with so many people whose lives have been touched by Dad.

12:32Following this service, there's going to be a high-tee-themed reception following for those that are able to stay for that. And at that reception, we'll actually have a number of the memorabilia of Dad's life. And boy, there's some doozies in there too that going through those and putting them out for display. So something from his early years and something from his more recent years. So if you're able to, please join us for that. That'll be something else. So if we can just take a moment and bow in prayer and open this service up.

13:12Living God, we thank you for the life of Bruce Whitehead, for the blessing that he was and continues to be in the lives of his family and loved ones. Lord, we give thanks for this beautiful winter day. To remember his blessings on all of our lives. Amen. I want to share with you a few of my memories of Dad. And one of the great benefits of having a memorial service like this a couple of months after somebody passes is that you have that opportunity to collect those memories and to sort of sort through them. And through the Holy Spirit's help, the things that you really do want to remember about somebody kind of filter through the top. And over the last few months, my sisters and I, when you're closing out somebody's estate, there's all these things you do. You're closing out accounts, you're canceling subscriptions, you're doing all these things. And I had this very strange feeling as my sisters and I are going through all the paperwork steps that you have to follow of almost erasing any evidence that he was ever here because we're canceling all those worldly trappings, you know. But the great thing about today is that this is about memories, and this is about the things that are eternal. All of those things have like an effective and expiration date. But real life, the good stuff, is eternal. And that's what we're here to bubble up to the surface and to remember. My father always had the capacity to. See things differently than everybody else, and to see people differently than everybody else, and problems or challenges differently than everybody else.

15:14In 2016, when my mother passed, I had talked to him right when it happened on the phone. And he and my sister Nancy were able to be with her at that time. And I talked to him the next day and the following day just to see how he's doing. And the day after that, I called and I said, so, Dad, how are you doing? And he said, well, I bought a Subaru. And I was like, you just ran to a dealership and bought a Sub. Like, no, no, no, I got a car guy. So I found a good deal in Houston.

15:51And you want to talk about the Subaru. So I mean, he just kind of had a way of coping that was all his own. It was his unique way of doing it. And somehow that made it easier for everybody. I don't know. We could all talk about, like, did you hear dad bought a subaru yesterday? And it really, it was like, oh, yeah, yeah, I could see dad doing that. That makes a lot of sense. For a lot of people that remember him from earlier days, when we lived in Minnesota, one thing in the church that we went to, their vision of Glory Lutheran Church, a lot of people probably watching from that church right now.

16:30A lot of the people are going to remember dad as the consummate matchmaker. So he would look around after church, and he would come up and say, Okay, Eric, you know so-and-so over there? They're not dating anyone, are they? And I'm like, no, no, I don't think so. He's like, Okay, what about what's her name over there? Have they, you know what, I'm just going to introduce them. So, and he did that over and over, and we always like, oh, that's so Bruce.

16:57But I'll be darned if a couple of them didn't get married. And so they know who to thank, I guess. So a lot of my memories of my dad are from childhood. When you may or may not believe this, but when I was two and a half, three years old, my parents bought a house in locking out of Flint Ridge, California. And I remember riding on my dad's shoulders as he went up to take the keys from the realtor. And later I asked him, I was like, Dad, did this realtor have like big round glasses and a long beard and big hair and all that? It was 1971.

17:36And he said, yep, that was him. But he was so excited to buy this house that he went and brought me to when we were first taking possession of it. And he also had a friend from England named Alan Bell, one of his good friends, and his friend Alan Bell. Bell was visiting. Visiting in California, and so he said, Let's take Eric and go to there's some sort of festival. I think my sisters were away doing something else. So we went to this festival, and it was put on by first responders. So there's fire trucks and helicopters and all this cool thing. And I could not take my eye off this hot pretzel stand, this vendor that was there. And so I look at a fire truck and then look at the pretzel and all that. And finally, at one point, Dad got all the way down on one knee and he said, Eric, do you want a pretzel? And I was like, yes, I do. And so we got the pretzel. But, you know, there's so much to see and so much going on, but he noticed that I just kept looking at this pretzel thing. And I don't know why I was so interested in this pretzel, but I remember that to this day, that that was something that he noticed. And, you know, I don't remember what the pretzel tasted like, but I remember that he asked if I wanted one. So, also, people in Minnesota, a lot of people my age and my sister's age, probably remember my dad as the every year ski instructor. And we would go out to the local hills eight times in a row, eight Saturdays in a row every year. And dad never taught my class, but he taught classes. And but if you were teaching, if you were learning skiing from my dad, you also were learning how to yodel. That was the requirement. So, and I knew this because I'd be with my class going up the ski lift over here, and I'd hear from way over here. A whole bunch of 11 and 12-year-olds trying to yodel.

19:35And, you know, he, yeah, year after year, that was just what he did and how he liked to see things differently and make his mark. In 2008, I had a big privilege of going to India. My dad and I were both involved in a mission in India that plants, has planted over time about 40 churches. And it's one of the ministries I love to participate in. But we've been over several times, but he and I got to travel together. Now, he had actually been once prior and had brought some people from church over to see the ministry work in India.

20:12And I remember late at night, we were sitting in a tiny village, and generally the ministry in India focuses on small villages where there are no Christian churches already. And we were sitting in this tiny village, you know, sort of thatch hut, you know, roofs and minimal electricity. And we're in this tiny village, and I remember staying up late at night because we hadn't fallen asleep yet, and talking to him and saying, wondering the ministry work we're doing here, or the humanitarian work, whether it's a water project or whatever we were doing at this time. I was like, you know, this seems so remote and almost insignificant. I wonder if it's really making any difference, you know. And You know, these different villages that we were in. And Dad kind of looked for a minute and he said, Well, what's the biggest city in India? And I said, Oh, well, I think that's New Delhi. It's got to be 30 million people there. I said, That's huge. That's a huge city. That would be a huge impact if you had done ministry there. And he said, What are the next biggest cities? And I said, Oh, well, you've got Bombay and you've got Chennai and you've got Kolkata. And you have five or ten million or fifteen million in each of those. And he said, Okay. It's like, What about the medium-sized cities? You know, five to two million people. And I said, Oh, boy. And so we started listing those off. And he's like, What about the small cities? The 200,000, the 300,000, 100,000, 50,000. I said, Well, we're into guessing now, Dad. And we made this a little project and we added it all up. And he just looked up and said, Okay, so that's about 600, 650 million people in these big, huge cities. Where are the other 1.1 billion people? He said, Are they in towns and villages just like this one?

22:04And I thought for a minute, and I was like, Yeah, they are. That what we're doing right here is what we're trying to do on a huge scale. And in a lot of ways, Dad flipped the problem upside down. And he looked at it in a way that shows that the little things are the big things. And, you know, if you're making a difference in college station or in a small town in Canada, Or anywhere else, that that's more significant than you think, that that's where the good stuff is and where the real work is. And that's because he saw people differently, saw problems differently than everybody else. So I could go on and on. Those are just a few of my memories of my dad. But anyway, I thank you all for coming. And we're going to hear a few more things now. And I hope to speak to some of you afterwards, all of you. And thanks again for coming.

23:23I'm so happy to be here today. And I would like to share two memories from one from my childhood and one from this past year that really focus on one aspect of my dad's life, and that is his father's heart. And I know my brother also shared a little bit about that too. Such a big part of who he was. I grew up in Los Angeles, as he said, and at night I feared, I really battled with fear and anxiety. I don't know why, but I just always did. My bedroom was, for some reason, for Away from everybody else's bedroom down a long hallway, and I had three sides of the room was windows. And that just freaked me out at night. And so I would go into my parents' room, wake up my dad, and I would say, I'm scared. I did this all the time.

24:17And he would walk me back to my room and he would stay with me until I fell asleep. And the knowledge that he was watching over me was all I needed to fall soundly asleep. And then he would stay with me as long as I needed, and then he would go off to a full day's work designing robotic interplanetary probe missions. And he never got mad, he never got frustrated with me, he never told me to grow up or get over it.

24:56Because of the gentle way that he treated me, the unconditional nature of his love for me was never something that I questioned. So, fast forward to this past May, and my dad and I are in the hospital. He was in the hospital for confusion. And after a few days, even though there was no diagnosis, there was no concrete medical problem other than his confusion, he had lost all of his daily skills. He was unresponsive. His eyes were closed. He wasn't talking. He couldn't eat or swallow.

25:39And I was shocked and alone. We had a vacation planned, and thankfully my family got to go on that vacation, but I did choose to stay back and take care of him. So my family was gone for two weeks. So the doctor came in and started talking about discharging him in two days. And I was completely overwhelmed. I began crying to this doctor I didn't know about how I had no plan, no equipment, no help, no physical strength, no knowledge to care for him when they released him.

26:24This poor doctor, I was just bawling, and he was just listening. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. But at that moment, suddenly, I felt a hand reach across and grab mine, tight and steady, and it was my dad. And he was, even in his unresponsive state, he knew that his daughter was in distress, and he did the only thing that he could. And at that moment, I realized that his father's heart for his children, his love for his children, Went deeper than even his consciousness, and it made a profound impact on me.

27:09As you know, my dad was a very special man. My parents moved here ten years ago, and when they did, I never imagined how blessed I would be to have my church family know and love my parents. So, I just want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you at this church family for loving my special dad and my mom, and showing my dad kindness and friendship, investing in him, and at the end, sitting at his bedside, holding his hand, and telling him a hundred times not to get out of bed.

27:52So, in loving and blessing him, you all were loving and blessing me. So, thank you. Okay, that one's hard to follow. I'm Heather. I am the older sister of Nancy and Eric, and I'm also very grateful for all of you being here and for being part of mom and dad's life. I've been thinking about this moment for many years, or rather, I should say, I've been thinking about this process of wondering what this process would be like and how I would capture the essence of Dad in just a few minutes. Even though I spent a lot of time contemplating it, I procrastinated on it because it just seemed too overwhelming. And now, as I hold the chosen words, I am very grateful.

29:15While my process of reflection included times of sadness and grief, it was a gift. Not only did Dad give us the gift of who he was and how he lived his life, as you've heard from my sibling stories, he gave us the gift of seeing how we can be. He demonstrated living with integrity, grace, patience, and optimism. In the six months from May to November, when his health was declining, our father became more complex. The cruel beast of dementia took away aspects of him that I loved and probably took for granted, and yet it also explained.

30:00Exposed tender, vulnerable parts that allowed Nancy and Eric and I to care for him in a way that we never had before. That journey included much reflection on dad, his values, his priorities, and his legacy. Our dad was an eager, adaptable connector who saw the good in everyone. He could see possibilities invisible to the rest of us and was quick to say yes to an adventure. Dad, the connector, was like one of those traveling kits with all the little various electrical adapters all neatly packed into a portable box, so that no matter where you found yourself in the world, you could connect to a power source with just the right adapter. Those adapters take something that is totally foreign and make it usable. They are conduits. That was our dad. He found such joy in connecting with people that he could find the perfect adapter for each person and each situation, and in doing so, he gave them the gift of honor. Many people here knew mom, who knew mom, are probably aware that while dad loved connecting with anyone, mom did not. In our growing up, every vacation included the usual cadence of dad making an announcement like. I wonder if so-and-so still lives here. We should call them up. We should go visit.

31:37And our introverted mom would respond with, oh, Bruce, I'm sure they're busy. Hoping they were busy. He was fine picking up the phone, knocking on the door, walking up to strangers. Dad made new friends on every vacation and would, without fail, find someone in common. He's that person who would get so caught up in the exciting possibility that a connection was about to happen that he would say, oh, you live in Bellevue, Washington? So does my daughter.

32:13She works at Newport High School and is just a little south of. And instead of getting that blank stare and the response of like, so you know that Bellevue is really big, right? He would just keep going and keep going. And pretty soon he'd find that connection. And then their face would light up with like, oh, we have something in common. As a skilled connector, Dad listened intently to people's stories. Each person was a potential goldmine of history, personal journey, and something interesting. He honored those he met with fascination, and he kept notes in a file at home. Many of us struggle with the concept. Of assuming best intent. Not Dad. His heart could only see the spark of goodness in the heart of another, and he generously gave the gift of positive regard. Sometimes this got him into trouble because he was so trusting, but most of the time it allowed him to remain connected to a loved one or a stranger because resentment and frustration had no stronghold. He was quick to diffuse tension because he rarely got tangled up in disappointment. After mom died, Dad came to Seattle each year to spend Christmas with my family. I'm not sure how many of you have traveled to Seattle from College Station. It's a rather long journey, involves a shuttle to Houston, several hours at the airport, and then a four and a half hour flight, which, due to weather and the holidays, was often delayed. Several times, Bill and I picked him up at almost midnight, and he acted as if he had just spent 15 minutes in the car traveling from the neighboring city. We could tell he was very tired, but he was happy, talkative, and always had something nice to say about the people who gave him a wheelchair ride through the airport or directions to the gate. I wish I would have inherited that, Gene. And although I did not, I am happy to say that I have made great strides in trying to be like Dad. Dad gave the gift of honoring stories by capturing them on film. He always Had a camera with him long before cell phones were invented. We lived in a few odd, unique homes, and each of them had a DIY dark room in the basement. There were ribbons of negatives hanging to dry and reels of silent movie film in carefully labeled tin canisters. After the silent movie era evolved into Super 8, Dad upgraded his equipment and became videographer, editor, and producer, and that also happened in our basement. As you've probably heard, he took the only color photo of the infamous Greatest Rose Bowl hoax ever, where a few genius Caltech students switched the University of Washington cheerleaders' cue cards that were supposed to spell huskies and made them spell Caltech. And Dad happened to be the only person with a camera exactly opposite the field in the Rose Bowl in 1961 to capture that photo.

35:31Not quite as famous were his Oscar worthy films of our family vacations and Nancy's and my high school dance team competitions. And from what I've been told, the work of Bruce Whitehead continued in College Station as he filmed choir concerts and piano recitals. I love knowing that the younger generations benefited from Dad's passion and dedication to capturing the talents and stories of young people. So as I began to create the video tribute you will see shortly, I was faced with the challenge of how to honor Dad, the connector and storyteller, who was almost always behind the camera. There are a few photos of him, but it's like panning for gold to find them in his many boxes and computer files. The legacy of Bruce, the connector and storyteller, is that a piece of him lives in each of us.

36:33How he captured us and our stories in his photographs and films is part of his story. I can honor Dad by emulating him. I can honor Dad by stepping outside of my insecurities and welcoming a newcomer to church. I can pick up the phone and check on someone I haven't seen for a while. I can listen with curiosity and interest to the story of a stranger. I can look for the possibilities and assume best intent. And in doing this, I will be metaphorically toasting Dad that the way he lived his life is still impacting many of us, as well as the strangers we will encounter.

37:42When I think back on these times and the dreams we left behind, I'll be glad cause I was blessed to get to have you in my life. When I look back on these days, I look and see your face. You were right there for me. In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky. In my heart, there'll always be a place for you for all my life. I'll keep a part of you with me.

38:34And everywhere I am, there you'll be. And everywhere I am, there you'll be. Will you show me how it feels to feel the sky within my reach? And I always will. Remember all the strength you gave to me. Your love made me make it through. Oh, I owe so much to you. You were right there for me. In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky. In my heart, there'll always be a place for you for all my life.

39:35I'll keep a part of you and me. And everywhere I am, there you'll be. Cause I always saw in you, my light, my strength. And I wanna thank you now for all the ways. You were right there for me, right there. You were right there for me. In my dreams, I'll always see you soar above the sky. In my heart, there'll always be a place for you for all my life. I'll keep my soul. Are you with me?

40:34And everywhere I am, there you'll be and everywhere I am, there you'll be there you'll be of all among me ere I spent it in good company and all the harm that e'er I did Alas it was to none but me And all I've done for one time to memory now I can't recall so fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be to you all So fill to me the parting glass and gather as the heaven falls and gently rise and softly call good night and joy be to you of all the comrades that e'er I had They're sorry for my going away And all the sweethearts that e'er I had They wish me one more day to stay But since it's then to my heart that I should rise and you shall I gently rise and softly call good night and joy be to you all So fill to me the parting glass And gather as the evening falls And gently rise and softly call good night and joy Joy be to you all Send it to my land that I should rise and you should come. I'll gently rise and softly call Good night and joy be to you all fill to me the parting glass and gather as the healing falls and gently rise and softly call good night and joy be to you all fill to me the parting glass and gather as the healing Well, hello, friends.

45:48Want to read to you Isaiah chapter 6, beginning in verse 1, verse 7. Isaiah chapter 6, this is the text that Bruce wanted preached today. Isaiah 6, verse 1. In the year King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above him, each having six wings. With two, he Covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

46:36And one called out to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations and the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts.

47:11Then one of the seraphim flew to me with the burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, Behold, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven. Well, thank you. Thank you for the video. Thank you for the treasure that that will be through generations to come. Thank you for the words that have been shared already, Nancy and Eric.

47:48Thank you for everybody that's come out. Bruce was a special man. A lot of good things have been said about him, and a lot more good things could be said. Said about Bruce Whitehead, the man, the husband, the father, the rocket scientist. So much could be said, and much more. And I realize it's difficult to simply summarize a person's life in one statement. But as I reflected upon Bruce, his life, who he was, and what I could say about him that would encapsulate who he was, the thought from Titus 1:8 came to my mind: he is a lover of good things.

48:45And for those of you who knew Bruce Whitehead, he was a lover of good things. You know, people will ultimately be remembered for what they loved. You show me what a person's love, what a person loves, and I will show you what's in their heart, whether good or evil. The person who loves good things will be esteemed forever. And Bruce certainly loved many good things. He loved learning. He loved his wife. He loved his children. He loved his experience. Extended family. He loved his friends.

49:33As you've already heard, he loved people. He was kind. And I lived with him for four plus years in my own home. On those mornings, I can remember many mornings where I would be in long before the sun came up, long before the rooster would crow, have my first cup of coffee, and I would hear Bruce put on his squeaky shoes and walk. And I could hear him coming: squeak, squeak. In fact, we called him squeaky shoes because you could always hear him coming. And his greeting was always the same. Oh, hi, Tom. Oh, hi, Tom.

50:19And I don't think I ever had, I know I never had a cross word with him. I don't even think I ever had a cross thought. That was the man. His kindness was always evident. He loved taking pictures. He loved figuring out how things worked. He was a true explorer. He loved the expanse of heaven. He loved England. He loved the Queen and all things British. He loved his homeland, Canada. Spoke often about it. And he loved the United States of America. He was an immigrant. And he loved these states.

51:18In fact, I would say this: if all the immigrants were like Bruce Whitehead, we would not be having a border crisis, we'd be having a border blessing. He loved this country. And I loved talking to him about politics because he had that unique perspective from being on the outside and from one being on the inside. He loved the United States of America. But he was a man who, above all these things, loved his heavenly king. And he loved his king's country. And I say this for two reasons. The first reason is because of the scripture he wanted us to meditate upon today. Bruce wanted the very last formal public reflection of his life to be mainly about his king. Not Shakespeare, not things British, not things, not even things from his personal memoirs. He wanted it to be about his king, and so he chose Isaiah 6.

52:30A passage where Isaiah sees heaven's and earth's king and the transformation that takes place when one beholds the true king of the universe. The book of Isaiah puts heaven and earth into perspective. You see, the world that we know is temporary and transitory, and its glory and its sparkle are tarnished. But there is a heavenly glory that transcends the beauty of this world, and such glory flows out of the intrinsic majesty which belongs to the king of heaven. Heaven is a majestic place because the king is a majestic king.

53:26And so, this afternoon, as we walk through Isaiah 6, these verses, I want to quickly bring to your mind two majestic characteristics of our Lord, so that, like Bruce, like Isaiah, you too will love him or love him more. First thing about heaven's king that is evident in our text is that he is sovereign. He is sovereign. In 6:1, in the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of his robe filling the temple. Notice he's sitting, he's established. Isaiah does not see him contending for his throne or trying to protect his throne, but he is established. The universe is established because the king sits upon his throne.

54:29He is sovereign. He controls the universe, established forever. He knows all the stars by name. He is enthroned above the circle of the earth. He is sovereign. And this is a good thing to know. But you know, it's not just his sovereignty that is comforting, is it? His sovereignty, sovereignty in the hands of a tyrant, would be very frightening. But there is something else about this king of heaven. Not only is he sovereign, but he is good.

55:20He is good. He is sovereign, and he is good. Now, there, a soul can find rest. And his goodness is seen, first of all, in his holiness. Notice what Isaiah says: Seraphim stood above him. Seraphim, these majestic, angelic beings. By the way, if your depiction, if your understanding of an angel is a little fat baby with a big head and little wings, you haven't been informed by the Bible. That is not what angels are like at all. In fact, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, oh, that thing ain't going to fly. No, these angelic beings are majestic, powerful.

56:07This speaks and the earth trembles. Seraphim stood above him, each having six wings. With two, he covered his face, and with two, he covered his feet, and with two, he flew. And one called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. His goodness is seen in his holiness. We don't really understand what that means these days, but he is not susceptible to corruption. That's what it means. It means he can never lie. It means he has just scales. It means that he cannot ever do anything wrong or abuse power. He is holy, and he isn't some egostistical maniac that needs something from humanity. No, he gives to all. His goodness is seen in his. Holiness and he never lies and he keeps every single promise. And there the soul can find rest. A king, sovereign, good, holy, who's going to do everything he promises. The soul can find rest there.

57:25Second, his goodness is seen in his creation. It is seen in his creation. Notice in verse 3, Seraphim saying, the whole earth is full of his glory. I couldn't help but just think about Bruce, his study of the world, his study of the heavens. You know, there are two kinds of scientists. There are the scientists that look through the microscope or look through the telescope and go, wow, chance. There's another kind of scientist that looks through the telescope and says, wow, God.

58:11Bruce was one of the second type. He marveled at God's universe and the details. The whole earth is full of his glory. I can remember him talking about scientists that he esteemed. I'd love to go into some detail about it, but I won't. One of them, Albert Einstein, said this: The harmony of natural law reveals an intelligence of such superiority that compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is utterly insignificant. Einstein understood that there was a designer behind this. One of Bruce's favorite scientists was Werner von Braun. Many of you may know that Nazi German who was the leading rocket scientist in Hitler's regime and became the pioneer of the American space program following World War II. Bruce knew him.

59:24This is what he says. My experiences with science led me to God. They challenge science to prove the existence of God, but must we really light a candle to see the sun? Then he goes on to say this. By the way, all these photos are pictures from the Hubble Telescope. It's wonderful to have a rocket scientist that you get to remember because then you get to get a lot of good photos up there of space. And I spend as much time looking at the photos, space, but Werner. Of von Braun went on to say this.

1:00:03In this modern world of ours, many people seem to think that science has somehow made such religious ideas as immortality untimely or old-fashioned. I think science has a real surprise for the skeptics. Science, for instance, tells us that nothing in nature, not even the tiniest particle, can disappear without a trace. Nature does not know extinction, all it knows is transformation. And if God applies this fundamental principle to the most minute and insignificant parts of his universe, doesn't it make sense to assume that he applies it to this masterpiece of his creation, the human soul? That's where science took this scientist.

1:00:59Heaven's king. His goodness is seen in his holiness, is seen in his creation, but it also is seen in his willingness to forgive. In verse 4, I'll pick it up. And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined. What's going on? The word there is, I am destroyed. The Hebrew word there means destroyed. I am ruined. The Greek translators, a couple hundred years before Christ, translated this word as stabbed or pierced. I am pierced. I am stabbed. I am ruined. Isaiah sees this incredible vision of perfection, holy perfection, moral perfection, brilliant perfection.

1:02:03And he says, and he comes convicted, because I am a man of unclean lips. I am so far off the mark of his goodness. And I live among a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Even the seraphim would not look upon him. And here is Isaiah, he sees him, and he is convicted to the heart. You can always tell when somebody has a true encounter with God, because this element of an awareness of sin, awareness of being off the mark, having missed his perfection, becomes profound. Some of the encounters you might hear today is: yeah, you know, I had a big cheeseburger and went to sleep, and I met God.

1:02:59And We had a cup of tea together, and he told me what a swell guy I was. Now, when you look at the encounters that people have in the Bible with God, there is a sense of the awesomeness of God, and there is quickly a reminder of just how far off the mark we fall. And this is what compels humanity to flee from God. And we'll do that by excusing our sin, neglect, or blaming others. Isaiah wasn't such, he knew.

1:03:39Then the seraphim flew. Isaiah, God knows what's going on. One of the seraphim flew to me with the burning coal in hand, which he had taken from the altar of tongues, and he touched my mouth with it and said, Behold, this has touched your lips, and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven. Your iniquity is taken away. That crookedness within you is taken away, and the offense of your sin is forgiven, pardoned. Ah, now here is a king to rest in and to celebrate. Not only is he sovereign, but he is good.

1:04:26He is holy, perfect, never going to compromise. Compromise that, but he pardons. He knows our frame. He knows why we flee from him. And so he comes seeking us with the truth. I don't know why we have to excuse sin. The Bible says Christ says, Come to me with your sin. Come confessing your sin. And you will find forgiveness. You will find entrance, as did Isaiah. And what's interesting, there is a transformation that takes place, and I won't get into it, but in the next very next verse, Isaiah has gone from, oh, woe is me, I'm ruined, to here am I, send me. Whatever your interests are, let them be my interests. That's the transformation.

1:05:27And in John chapter 12, the Apostle John affirms in no uncertain terms that the one that Isaiah beholds is Jesus Christ in his pre-incarnate glory. And Jesus, as you remember, he came. He came with the authority to forgive sins. Why? Because he was the sin-bearer. He had the authority. Heaven's king is Solomon. Sovereign. He is in control. And he is good. And this is where a soul can find rest. Heaven's majesty owes its existence to the king's majesty, and you and I can be a part of it. That's the good news.

1:06:24It's what Isaiah found. And this is what gave Bruce the rest and the celebration of what's to come. I have to leave you with a thought of Bruce. Great mind. Loved his thinking. Loved some of the things he would philosophize about. He's a great philosopher, by the way. One of the things he told me as we were talking about life, and he's the one who just brought it up and said, you know what? Life is like passing through a series of rooms. Like passing through a series of rooms. And he goes on to describe what he means. Each room only has two doors. There's an entrance and an exit. You come in, your current situation, where you live now, is the current room you're in. And there is a door that brought you into it, and there is a door that will lead you out of it. The entrance to the one is the exit to the other.

1:07:33A person can only live in one room at a time. And the furniture and the decor and the sounds in the room reflect the time and the place and the circumstances and people in a person's life in any given situation. For instance, there was a time when I was not married, and that was my current circumstances. And then I could imagine what it would be like being married. And then I met Nancy, and then I walked through that door, and then I was in a whole new situation. But I could never go back to being unmarried. At least, not under the same circumstances. Oh, I may be single again, but I can never go back to not having ever been married to Nancy. Same is true with children. We can imagine what it's like without having children. And then all of a sudden, once you have children, you've stepped into another place. And as Bruce described this, sometimes we're going through life, we step through doors, through opportunities, and we're in a whole new set of circumstances. And sometimes we're ushered through a door, cancer, another situation, and all of us, or whatever, and life takes us into another room.

1:08:58And a person cannot. Live. We cannot go back to the previous room. We can only remember it. Likewise, we cannot live in the next room. We can only imagine what it will be like. So, this is Bruce telling me what life is like. So, what does that mean? Look back, be grateful. You can remember. Look ahead, you can imagine. And treasure. Treasure. Well, Bruce has stepped through a door. You can imagine. We talked a lot about what heaven is like. Well, now he's stepped through that door.

1:09:41And we behind, now we can imagine. We no longer imagine what life without Bruce is. Squeaky shoes is gone. As I think about Bruce, I think about where he is. Every time I see the planet Mars, I cannot help but think of Bruce. He's stepped through the door. I can think about all the gaps. It's like heaven was made for people like Bruce to explore God's universe for all of time. And so, I am thankful for Bruce Whitehead, who is a lover of good things. I am thankful that he loved his God, his king, and his king's country. And I said there were two reasons how I know he loved his king and he loved his country. Number one, because of the scripture he wanted us to meditate upon this morning. And the second, because of the songs he wanted us to sing today. He laid out this whole script: everything from the bagpipes to the scripture to the songs. This is Bruce's final gift to us.

1:11:14And the songs that we'll play in just a moment and sing together articulate both the rest that Bruce found in God and the excitement that he felt anticipating heaven. He loved the king and could rest in the king. And he celebrated the king's country. And now, that is where he is. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you that you are sovereign, in control. Father, and even if we lose our minds, your promises are still good. Your promises to us are not dependent upon our ability to. Remember or keep them or anything, but upon you who made the promise. You remember. You remember every good promise, and you are holy.

1:12:14You are going to do all that you promised. You are faithful. You are good. And you call all of us to turn to you and not run from you. You have made a provision for our sin, for where we have fallen short. And so we come before you, thanking you for the gift of Bruce Whitehead, for the reminder of these truths. And Father, we ask that you would help us to live in the present, remembering your faithfulness from the past, looking forward to what's ahead because we serve a sovereign and good king. And help us to treasure the people, the places, the circumstances, and the opportunities that you give us in the present. We thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

1:14:06When peace like a river attended my way when sorrows like sea fill those room fighter, my Lord thou hast longed me to say it is well it is well my soul it is well With my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul. Though saith and should come and his blessed shores control that Christ has regarded by covert and has shed his love for my soul, it is well with my soul, it is well, it is well.

1:16:38My sin, all the list of his Lord's thought. My sin darling part, but the whole is failed to the cross and thymore. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. It is awe with my soul. It is awe, it is awe in my soul and Lord haste the day. Thy face shall be sight, thy crowds be broken at the scroll, the trump shall resound, and the voice shall descend in and soul in his well with my soul It is awesome with my soul It is well It is well in my soul It is a well it is well with my soul It is well It is well in My soul.

1:19:42Some glad morning when this life is over, I'll fly away to a home on God's celestial shore. I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh, glory. I'll fly away in the morning when I die. Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away when the shadows of this life have grown. I'll fly away, like a bird from prison bars has flown. I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh, glory. In the morning, when I die, hallelujah by and by, I fly away.

1:21:21Oh, how glad and happy when we meet I fly away. No more cold iron shackles on my feet. I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh glory. I'll fly away in the morning when I die. Hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away. Just a few more weary days, and then I'll fly away to a land where joy shall never end. I'll fly away. I'll fly. Fly away, O glory. I'll fly away in the morning. When I die, hallelujah, bye and by.

1:22:42I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh, glory. I'll fly away in the morning. When I die, hallelujah, bye and by. I'll fly away. When I die, when I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away. Amen. Thank you again for coming. On behalf of the whole family, you're invited over to the Fellowship Hall for some fellowship and some refreshments and sharing stories about Bruce. So you're dismissed. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, sing his mercy and his grace in the mansions. Bright and blessed, he'll prepare for us a place.

1:24:06When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory while we walk the pilgrim pathway. Clouds will overspread the sky. But when traveling days are over, not a shadow, not a sigh. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory. Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day. Just one glance of Him in glory will the toils of life repay. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.

1:25:31When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory onward to the price before us. Soon his beauty will behold. Soon the pearly gates will open. We shall tread the streets of gold. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory.