Thanks to Rev. Natalie Ford with the First Presbyterian Church of Owasso, Hazel Miller, Mick Dundom, and Mark Hrachovec for their remarks at his service.

Service of Witness to the Resurrection Elmer Bruce Carson September 16, 1929 -- September 18, 2004 2:00 pm
Prelude	Sharon Ball
Etude in E, Chopin; Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Bach
New World Symphony, "Going Home", Dvorak
Welcome
This afternoon we gather to celebrate the life and resurrection of Bruce Carson. We come in the hope of eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to celebrate a man of intelligence, wit and faith, and the faith that carries us all to an everlasting home. While we mourn his loss, we rejoice because he lives on with our Lord.
Call to Worship
In Ecclesiastes 3 we hear this wisdom: To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven, A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to keep silent, and a time to speak….whatever God does endures forever, nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, that all should stand in awe. Our Lord Jesus promises new and eternal life in John 11:25-26: I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live. As Christians we believe that Bruce lives with God forever, in a kingdom with no pain or suffering, no sorrow or sadness. He has finished his journey with us, but his life with God is just beginning. Please join in our first hymn, the Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee, found in your bulletin
Hymn	Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Prayer of Supplication
Loving and Gracious God, today we remember Bruce Carson--a husband, a brother, a confidante, and a friend. We mourn the loss of a man who brought life and love to us. As we go forth without him, help us to find in you our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Give us your Spirit to pray for us when we cannot find the words. Fill us with the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, and give us your courage in the days ahead. As you promise in your word, hold us up with your mighty hand. Use this time to bring friends and family closer to one another with the bond of fond memories and love. Be especially with Bruce's dear wife and greatest comfort, Emily. Pour out your peace upon his brother Grant and wife Maryann, his former wife Ione's dear family, Mick and Leah, Joyce, all the Guthrie family, and dearest friends. Comfort his brothers and sisters in Christ, all who were blessed by his faith and intelligence, his compassion and wit. Pour your mercy and peace upon who mourn his loss, both near and far. As we grieve, grant us hope and faith in our Savior Jesus Christ--who conquered death, and has opened the gates of eternal life, welcoming Bruce home. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
New Testament Lesson	Romans 8:31-39
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?....Who will separate us from the love of Christ? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Old Testament Lesson	Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint, nor grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
On Eagles' Wings	Rev. Natalie Ford
Impressions of Bruce	Mark Hrachovec
Remembrances	Mick Dundom, Hazel Miller
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills- from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
Prayers of Thanksgiving
God of Grace, you have given us new and living hope in Jesus Christ. We thank you that by dying Christ destroyed the power of death, and by rising from the grave he opened the way to eternal life for Bruce, and all who follow you. We thank you today for Bruce, for his humor and his intelligence, for his love of flight and computers, his mathematical genius and heart for beautiful music. We thank you for his openness to new ideas and his integrity as he followed his dreams. We praise you for his years as a light to many, for his jokes, for his smile, for his generous compliments. We thank you for the joy he found in living, in loving Ione for so many years, for finding Emily and loving her to the end. We praise you for his courage amidst great pain and suffering, for his optimism and strength, a gift from you. Thank you Lord, for making a man who brought life and light to all of us. We give you praise and thanks that Bruce is your son, living with you eternally in a place of sheer joy and happiness. He has joined the saints before him, he has reunion with loved ones gone ahead. We give you our joy and our tears, and offer you this prayer and the silent prayers of our hearts, in the name of the One who taught us to pray together, saying
Lord's Prayer (Unison--debts, debtors)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, and forgive us our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Hymn	O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
Benediction
*Postlude
Internment following at Fairview Cemetery
76th Street North, Owasso
Reception at First Presbyterian after Internment

"Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" --Hamlet, Act V, Scene II High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God. John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Memorial gifts may be made to the First Presbyterian Church 12800 E. 85th St. N. Owasso, OK 74055, American Parkinson Disease Association 1250 Hylan Blvd., Suite 4B Staten Island, NY 10305-1946, or a medical research of your choosing. Tuesday, September 21, 2004 First Presbyterian Church Owasso, Oklahoma

On Eagles' Wings

"That's it!", she said, as we prayed with Emily Sunday night. "On Eagles Wings. Isaiah 40 is the passage for Bruce".

Indeed, it is a word of hope for Bruce, and about Bruce. Isaiah 40 is a word of hope for all who have gathered here this day. Listen again to our Lord, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Friends, this is the good news of our faith, the reason for our hope.

Our brother in Christ, Elmer Bruce Carson, came into this world on September 16th, 1929 in Oak Port, Kentucky, born to Elmer and Nellie Carson. He was raised in Lanett, Alabama, and educated at Auburn University-where his journey as an aerospace engineer and computer wiz began. Bruce married Ione Guthrie Carson and loved her until her death. He was married to Emily Henriques Carson in 2001, and loved her until his own death. He leaves behind Emily, his brother Grant, and the loving Guthrie and Henriques families.

Today we celebrate this man, his life and his resurrection. And we affirm the hope of Isaiah 40. Bruce has waited upon the Lord. As Bruce said he was 'as patient as an oyster'.

Bruce has had his strength renewed, a strength that was tested through the trials of Parkinson's disease, infection, and pain.

Bruce has been raised up on Eagles' wings, taken to the Lord in a moment of peace at home this last Saturday, surrounded by love and prayer.

He has been raised up on the wings of resurrection, made possible by our Lord Jesus Christ. He joins Ione, his brother Hugh, and many others in eternity.

This precious man who loved airplanes and eagles, whose mind could grasp the wonder of flight, is flying high today.

This dear man whose quest for knowledge was unquenchable, he has received all knowledge in Christ. This man whose desire to communicate was as high as the Ham radio tower atop his home, he has risen to new heights. This sweet man who was passionate for sweets and sweet people, is experiencing a whole new joy. His loyalty knows no bounds, his dedication no limits. This beloved man, was and Is a beloved child of God, now and forever.

Friends, hear the good news of our Christian faith -
today, on Eagles' wings, Bruce can run and not be weary.
He can walk, and not faint.
He has known, he has heard,
and now he sees firsthand that our Lord is an everlasting God,
Creator of the earth. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.

Let us join hearts in praise and thanks to the God of eagles wings, and Lord of resurrection. Amen.

Most Precious Souvenir

Bruce, I said, "I have a need,"
Please Help me, if you can.
Yes, he said, "I can, and I will,"
What a giving man.
He didn't hesitate at all,
He didn't ask the need.
All he said was 'I'll be glad",
To help you, yes, indeed.
That's the way it was with Bruce,
He had that certain way.
"It's my pleasure," he would answer
"It's my privilege", he would say.
It didn't make a difference,
If he had things to do.
He'd put them off 'til later,
He'd give his time to you.
He didn't want your money,
Just a handshake would suffice.
Bruce was into kindness,
He was into being nice.
Today, I'm here to let you know
I loved him very dear.
To know him was "my privilege"
A "Most Precious Souvenir".

In fond memory of Burce Carson, loved and respected by all who knew him.

Remarks from Hazel Miller

I think he was the most gentle, kind, and intelligent man I have ever known.

I tried never to miss a Computer Society meeting when he was the principle speaker.

I learned more about computers from him than anyone else.

He was always willing to help me with my computer when I had a problem.

He taught me how to take a computer apart, install a part, and put it back together again.

I considered it an honor to be asked to his and Emily's wedding.

I already miss him very much, and in my church we pray for the dead as well as the living.

He will be included always in my prayers.

Remarks from Mark Hrachovec

Those of you who have visited Bruce in the last few months were no doubt touched by his suffering. The pain he endured was high. Medicine has it limits, and Bruce pushed the limit with his constellation of medical problems. He never uttered a word of complaint to me, though to those closer to him, he confided his needs for relief. Now Bruce has that relief. More interesting to me, though, was how he acted no matter where he was on the pain chart. He was brave, stoic and unselfish. None the less, the book of Job comes to mind, not for the suffering that Bruce and Job shared, but in the questions for God that each had. The answer Job received from God reminded me so much of Bruce, I want to read it for you:

Job 38: 4-7

Were you there when I made the world? If you know so much about it, tell me about it. Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know the answers? What holds up the pillars that support the earth? Who laid the cornerstone of the world? In the dawn of that day the stars sang together, and the heavenly beings shouted for joy.

Job 38: 31-33

Can you tie the Pleiades together or loosen the bonds that hold Orion? Can you guide the stars season by season and direct the Big and the Little Dipper? Do you know the laws that govern the skies, and can you make them apply to the earth?

At the risk of sounding like a hero worshiper, if Job had had Bruce’s abilities, he just might have been able to answer in the affirmative to some of those challenges.

The more I learn about Bruce the more I admire him. On one occasion while visiting with him at a nursing home, Bruce answered my questions about his work on missiles.

“Which missiles did you work on? Did you work on all the systems or did you have a specialty? Do you prefer solid or liquid fuel? This last question began a warm discussion on the characteristics and performance of bat guano as a rocket fuel. More than one visiting nurse aide must have thought we were both delirious. More than his answers, though, I was impressed by how he spoke. Ordinarily his voice was the voice of a sick man. When he spoke of rockets, missiles and flying machines, his voice was that of a young man: strong, enthusiastic, filled with excitement and love of the subject. He was no longer a sick friend trying to overcome pain and disease but a young engineer filled with hope, clarity, energy and interest. That was the Bruce I’m sure you all knew, and one I was fortunate to see if only for a brief time.

His interests spanned the spectrum of experience. He loved music, guitars, dobros especially. He loved to play the organ (though why he didn’t like Bach is a mystery to me). He loved all things mechanical from motorcycles to airplanes. Wild life. Now there’s a departure for an engineer. Western boots, hats, belts with big buckles, pizza, all things sweet including my own first love, Three Musketeer bars. He was ambidextrous, loved the color blue, Buicks and computers. To much of the world he is known as N6AQP, his amateur radio call sign. We both liked Ray Charles and wouldn’t you know it; he and I are in love in love with the same woman, Loren Bacall.

Bruce was an old fashioned tinkerer. He didn’t just talk about things but got his hands right in the project. He was one of the few people I know who made the transition from slide rules to computers. The more high tech, the better. A few nights ago I heard the electrostatic filter in his living room zapping the daylights out of dust particles so Emily can breathe easier. That was his idea. His work room looks like it is owned by a Mr. Wizard with the good housekeeping seal of approval. I’ve never before seen a Rubbermaid bin filled with every type of battery needed to run the household. His mind was orderly and seemed to have no category marked “not interested.” Bruce was curious about religion, literature, technology, comic books and people. There are few Renaissance men in the world. Bruce was one. What Renaissance people are really looking for is, simply, God : the Origin of All things. Listen to an excerpt from Psalm 139:

When my bones were being formed,
carefully put together in my mother’s womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
you knew that I was there--
you saw me before I was born.

The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book,
before any of them ever began.
Oh God, how difficult I find your thoughts;
how many of them there are!

If I went up to heaven, you would be there;
if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.
If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west,
you would be there to lead me.

For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here