Our dear friend and brother in Christ, Glenn Whitehead, succumbed to cancer at 11:30pm on Saturday night.
While ever he had breath, Glenn was doing the work of an evangelist, telling all who would listen about the sure hope he had in Jesus.
Whilst we know that he is now home safe in the arms of his Saviour, we are sad. But we do not “grieve like the rest of men who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Rather, our confidence is in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Glenn’s favourite passage of Scripture reminds us:
1 Corinthians 15:51-57 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We will have a Service of Thanksgiving to God for Glenn’s life this Thursday 4 March, 2pm at St Augustine’s, followed by refreshments at Cammeray Golf Club.
Vale Glenn Whitehead, 10 August 1953 – 27 February 2010
Come, Lord Jesus!
UPDATE: 5 March 2010
Many thanks to all of you who came yesterday to remember Glenn and hear about what his passion of the last 10 years was – Jesus.
At the service we heard from Glenn’s favourite passage of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15. You can read the whole passage for yourself here.
The following video provides a brief explanation of why the truths of 1 Corinthians 15 so gripped Glenn.
A PASSION FOR LIFE Easter DVD featuring Rico Tice from Full Measure Films on Vimeo.
In her eulogy, Glenn’s wife Sue spoke of Glenn attending a talk a St Augustine’s 10 years ago where Glenn heard the claims of the Bible about Jesus. The speaker that day, Dr. John Dickson, was with us on Thursday afternoon and he explains in the following video how we can know facts about Jesus.
A PASSION FOR LIFE apologetics by John Dickson from Full Measure Films on Vimeo.
Here at St Augustine’s we are keen that all those who knew Glenn are able to investigate the claims about Jesus in exactly the same way that Glenn was. We are confident that honest open enquiry will leave you convinced that the decision Glenn made 10 years ago is the one that you must make today!
We’ll all miss you mate. Certain you are riding with the Australian Jesus on the Golden Motorcycle.
Marbury Chambers
Rest in Peace my Good Friend – Paul King
Yes, I agree, vale. I did not know you all that well at school, although we were in the same class in first year, and had at least one class in common in second year. Then it was only last year that I caught up with you on Facebook. Then there was not a great deal of correspondence. The last time I wrote on Facebook was after you were no longer with us, which is a bit ironic. You did not mention that you were ill. You are absolutely right that there is a God in Heaven. That is the one and only thing that actually matters.