Dorothy Krokoski Funeral Service

Obituary

Dorothy I. Krokoskie, 101 of Honey Brook passed away Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at Hickory House Nursing Home.  Previously, she resided with her daughter Dorothy for the past 12-1/2 years.

She was the wife of the late Roman A. Krokoskie, who preceded her in death in 1969.

Born in Shamokin, PA, she was the daughter of the late John and Minnie Treon Promuck.

Dorothy was employed at several local restaurants namely; Little Chef, the former Gizmo, McDonald’s, and the former Anthony’s Diner.  In her younger days, a trip to casinos brought her much pleasure.  Most of all she enjoyed going to the Coatesville Senior Center, watching TV with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, playing numerous games of Bingo with her family, working on her puzzle book and doing word searches.

Surviving her are her daughters, Rose M. Swisher and Dorothy A. Thomas (David) both of Coatesville; two grandchildren, David Thomas of Coatesville and Lisa Noel of Mohnton; and three great grandchildren, Anissa Barksdale of Florida and John and Alayna Noel of Mohnton.

She was preceded in death by her son, Roman J. “Butch” Krokoskie in 2004.

Funeral service will be private and at the convenience of the family.

Monday, February 12, 2024 at 11:00am at Harris Mountain Funeral Home - private, family only service. (My note)

Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Coatesville.

Outline

Big Idea: In times of grief and suffering, hope comes from the salvation offered in the gospel.

Psalm 77.

The Utter Despair - Ps 77:1-4.

The Question in Longing - Ps 77:5-9.

The Appeal in Remembrance - Ps 77:10-15.

The Hope of the Gospel - Ps 77:16-20.

Prayer

Open with Prayer

Keep informal (perhaps sit in a circle with the family)

Scripture

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Song

Maybe have a song or two

Can use audio with JBL speaker

See Funeral Songs Playlist for options

Sharing

Invite anyone who desires to share a memory, a reflection.

What is one of your favorite memories about Dorothy?

Sermon

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5845 The Picture When Inverted

5845 The Picture When Inverted

The famous Thomas Nast, in a public exhibition of his skill, once performed a strange feat with his brushes. Taking a canvas about six-feet long by two-feet wide, he placed it nearly horizontal upon an easel before his audience, and began to sketch rapidly a landscape. In quick succession appeared green meadows with cattle, fields of grain, the farmhouse and surrounding buildings, with orchard near; while, over all, the bright sky, with fleecy clouds, seemed to pour Heaven’s benediction upon the scene below. At length no finishing touch was necessary. Still the artist held his brush, as he stepped aside to receive the hearty plaudits of the admiring audience.

When the applause had subsided, Mr. Nast stepped back to the canvas, as if he had not quite completed the picture. Taking darker colors, he applied them most recklessly to the canvas. Out went the bright sky. “Did you ever see a picture like this?” he asked, as he blotted out the meadows, fields, orchards, and buildings. Up, down and across passed the artist’s hand, until the landscape was totally obliterated, and nothing but a daub, such as a child might make, remained. Then, with a more satisfied look, he stepped aside, laying down his brush as if to say. “It is finished.”

But no applause came from the perplexed audience, and Nast then ordered the stage attendants to place a gilded frame around the ruined work of art, and to turn it to a vertical position. The mystery was revealed, for before the audience stood a panel picture of a beautiful waterfall, the water plunging over a precipice of dark rock, skirted with trees and verdue. It is needless to say that the audience burst into rounds of applause.

—Ludlow

Sometimes, what we see as a dark and broken mess, God is making into something more beautiful than we can begin to imagine.

Today, our hearts ache and grieve for the loss of one we love and cherish. And it may well be hard to see the gloriously beautiful tapestry that God is working to complete in each of our lives, but it is there.

This morning, I wanted to just share with you from Psalm 77. As you grieve the loss of a mother, grandmother, as your hearts ache and as you struggle through the mourning process, there may be a temptation to despair.

But I hope to share with you the message that Dorothy would want you to hear if she could come back and deliver it to you herself.

The Utter Despair - Ps 77:1-4.

Psalm 77.

Psalm 77:1–4 ESV

1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. 3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah 4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Asaph begins writing this Psalm by layout out just how deep his grief his.

His soul refused to be comforted

He moaned

His spirit fainted within him. He was weak and helpless.

His eyelids had to be held open by another

He was so troubled, he could not speak. He may have cried out to God, but it seems it was a silent prayer type of cry.

His grief was deep and long. Perhaps would be diagnosed as depression in today’s lingo.

Have you ever felt like this?

So weary and burdened that all you wanted to do was sleep, escape?

So sorrowful, so sad that you could not stop crying, shaking, or moaning?

So weak that even the thought of moving from the couch to the bed felt like a monumental task?

So discouraged that words fail you and you do not know what to say, don’t even want to talk.

If you have ever felt like this, then you share in Asaph’s sentiment.

In this moment of despair, Asaph did the one and only thing I could, He turned to God.

We can turn to so many other things in our grieving and suffering. So many other things promise relief and escape, healing and soothing. And perhaps they can deliver in the short term. But in the end, they will fail and they will end up hurting us more than helping.

In the end, only God can truly help, can truly comfort, can truly be our escape.

Asaph knows this and turns to God, bringing him all his despair and hurt.

He comes to him and he brings the question deeply unsettling his soul.

The Question in Longing - Ps 77:5-9.

Psalm 77:5–9 ESV

5 I consider the days of old, the years long ago. 6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: 7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? 8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

Asaph’s burning question…has God forgotten me? Has he forsaken me?

He looks at his suffering and his sorrow, and he wonders…have I driven God away with my sin, my decisions? Has he grown so angry with me that he has abandoned me, even send calamity upon me, never again to recover from it?

For Asaph, this would be the worst possible fate, even more so than the suffering he is enduring. For him, the suffering he is enduring seems to be evidence of God’s abandonment…and this is a tragic and terrible thing.

And indeed, he would be right! The true tragedy would to be forever abandoned by God. The other sufferings that may come would pale in comparison to that.

For God is THE GREATEST good, the choicest treasure in all of life and eternity. To lose HIM would be the most tragic thing.

Asaph has known God. He remembers the days of old. He remembers intimacy with God. He remembers the blessing of God.

Having remembered it, seen it, he keenly feels its absence…and that absence terrifies him. He trembles at the thought of God abandoning him.

Now, in truth, I do no think that Asaph believes God has abandoned him. Pastor Mark Vroegop notes.

Does the psalmist really believe God isn’t loving, doesn’t keep his promises, and is unfaithful? I don’t think so, and the rest of the psalm will bear this out. But he does something important here.

Praying honestly recognizes that pain and suffering often create difficult emotions that are not based upon truth but feel true, nonetheless. Mark Vroegop

He may not believe God has abandoned him, but it does not stop his emotions from feeling it. He does acutely feel it, even while his head knows differently.

This is the challenge of allowing our emotions and feelings to dictate truth for us. Emotions are not good theologians, they are not good bearers of truth. They are important and they can help us accurately assess a problem and respond in truth, but they are not always good at speaking truth to us.

Asaph feels deeply, but he KNOWS even more deeply and we will see this born out in the rest of this Psalm.

I don’t know all of your stories, I don’t know what you think or feel about God, but maybe you are feeling as Asaph did. Maybe you question whether God even exists. Maybe you question his goodness or his power. Maybe you question his love and care. Maybe you do not even really truly know him well enough to even think about him in your time of suffering and sorrow.

Where you are with God, I appeal to you to hang tight for a moment, to have eyes to see and ears to hear in your sorrow and loss…God is faithful and true and never abandons his own, even if it may feel like it. And for those who are not yet his, he is beckoning you with open arms to come to him.

As Asaph continues though, he makes a bold appeal to God.

The Appeal in Remembrance - Ps 77:10-15.

Psalm 77:10–15 ESV

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. 12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. 13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? 14 You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. 15 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

Asaph makes an appeal.

An appeal is...

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition appeal

an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision

Asaph is looking for God to intercede, to step in and help. He is looking for God to show up…somehow, someway.

Asaph appeals to God and His faithfulness as the foundation for hope in his current suffering.

He looks BACK.

He sees how God has ALWAYS been faithful to his people. I will remember your works of old, he says.

Not only will I remember them, I will PONDER and MEDITATE upon them.

This is even more than remembering. They are not synonyms to remembering, but rather a step beyond.

I will ponder

Remembering is calling to mind events or truths that have taken place.

Meditation is different.

What is the difference between remembering and meditating?

It is deeper than mere remembering.

To meditate on the Scriptures is to think about them, turning them over in our minds, and applying them to our life’s situations… The objective of our meditation is application – obedience to the Scriptures. Copied from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, © 1996, p. 99-100.

Even Asaph here distinguishes between the two.

Psalm 77:3.

Psalm 77:3 ESV

3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

Ps 77:11-12.

Psalm 77:11–12 ESV

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. 12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Asaph draws a clear distinction between the two.

Meditation is deeper than mere remembering.

Disciplined meditation on Scripture helps us focus on God. Meditation helps us view worship as a discipline. It involves our mind and understanding as well as our heart and affections. It works Scripture through the texture of the soul. Meditation helps prevent vain and sinful thoughts (Matthew 12:35) and provides inner resources on which to draw (Psalm 77:10-12), including direction for daily life (Proverbs 6:21-22). Meditation fights temptation (Psalm 119:11, 15), provides relief in afflictions (Isaiah 49:15-17), benefits others (Psalm 145:7), and glorifies God (Psalm 49:3). Joel Beeke

Meditation is the motivation and fuel for prayer.

As it is the sister of reading, so it is the mother of prayer. Though a man’s heart be much indisposed to prayer, yet, if he can but fall into a meditation of God, and the things of God, his heart will soon come off to prayer… Begin with reading or hearing. Go on with meditation; end in prayer… Reading without meditation is unfruitful; meditation without reading is hurtful; to meditate and to read without prayer upon both is without blessing.

The Works of the Reverend William Bridge, Soli Deo Gloria, 1989, v. 3., p. 132, 154.

Meditation takes time and thoughtfulness. Meditation takes effort and work. But it’s fruit, it’s reward is worth every bit of the work.

Prayer turns us around because the prayer finds it rooting and grounding in the person prayed to. It draws its passion and motivation; it’s strength and urgency; it’s hope and confidence FROM THE REMEMBERING of truth and the MEDITATING upon truths that have become sweet to the soul.

In our suffering, in our sorrow, in our struggle, we must not only remember the person and work of God and His faithfulness, but we must MEDITATE and PONDER WHO He is and rest in the comfort of that truth.

What we cannot do is allow our sorrow and grief and turbulent emotional state drag us away from the truth. We must FORCE our minds to return to it and remain there.

The Bible is THE source of truth that we need and in it, we come to know God and who he is. Thus, if you struggle to know God, to know why he is faithful and trustworthy, start here. Pick up the Bible and start reading. If you are not sure where to begin, I would be happy to assist or find another pastor/church to help you.

BUT remembering (or learning) who God is will lead you to hope in your suffering and sorrow, for HOPE is found in the gospel, the good news of salvation and deliverance that Jesus offers to us.

The Hope of the Gospel - Ps 77:16-20.

Psalm 77:16–20 ESV

16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. 17 The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. 18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Asaph here refers to an event in the life of the Nation of Israel. They had been enslaved in Egypt for over 400 years. They cried out to God and God heard their cry.

God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, and using them as his mouth and hands, would ultimately force Egypt to let the people go. He freed them from the slavery that they had endured for these hundreds of years.

After sending 10 horrible plagues upon the land that pretty much destroyed the land, the nation of Israel left Egypt.

But no sooner had they left, then Pharaoh gathered his army and set off in pursuit of them.

They end up trapped between a mountain, the pursuing army, and the Red Sea. They have no where to go and imminent death, capture, and/or return to slavery is certain for them.

BUT THEN

God intercedes.

He tells Moses to lift up his staff and stretch his hand out of the Red Sea. When he does, the waters part. Two towers of water rise, leaving a DRY path THROUGH the Red Sea to get them safely to the other side.

It was a miraculous deliverance and salvation…one that was a picture of an even greater one to come.

Jesus, the VERY SON OF GOD, God Himself would later come IN PERSON. He would leave heaven to come to earth and ultimately provide salvation for all who choose to repent and believe.

He would be born of a virgin, no human father involved in his conception.

He would live a perfect life, never committing any sin.

Around age 30, he would begin teaching, preaching, performing miracles, and telling people he came to save them from their sins and from God’s wrath for their sins.

He would later be betrayed by one of his disciples .

He would be put on an illegal trial, with false witnesses making up lies about him, and the religious leaders twisting and manipulating his words.

He would be convicted and sentenced to death, the worst kind of death…death on a cross.

He would be tortured and brutally killed as an innocent man.

BUT in so doing, he would serve as a substitute for you and for me. OUR SIN is what he was really dying for.

He was dying so that we did not have too. In fact, we couldn’t have.

Our sin and our rebellion to God comes at the highest price…eternal separation from God and judgment for it.

The only escape, a perfect sacrifice…one who was perfecting dying to pay the debt owed against sin.

That was not us. We are not perfect.

But, because God loved us, he sent Jesus to die for us, A PERFECT man so that we could have the hope of being saved from his wrath against our sin.

All that we must do is REPENT (Agree with God that we are sinners, that we have sinned against him, and owe debt to him because of it AND have a sorrow for that sin that causes us to REJECT and TURN AWAY from that sin and be obedient to Him instead)

We must REPENT and BELIEVE that Jesus is the son of God and trust HIS sacrifice to save us.

We have nothing to offer, nothing to bring, nothing that can save us.

We are like Israel, trapped and certain death is imminent.

Like the Red Sea parting to provide a means of escape and salvation, Jesus’ death on the cross the means for us to escape the wrath of God and find salvation from our sin.

AND WHEN WE FIND THIS…

We have hope.

For Asaph, his confidence rested in the fact that God delivered them at the Red Sea.

He could have hope now in his suffering and sorrow BECAUSE that was true.

If God would go to such great lengths to save them then, he would not abandon them now.

The same is true for us, when we repent of our sin and place our faith in him, no matter how much suffering, sorrow, and loss we endure now, we can trust that IF he did that for us in Jesus, HE WILL NOT abandon us now and we can find hope even while our hearts sorrow and grieve.

Conclusion

Big Idea: In times of grief and suffering, hope comes from the salvation offered in the gospel.

Psalm 77.

The Utter Despair - Ps 77:1-4.

The Question in Longing - Ps 77:5-9.

The Appeal in Remembrance - Ps 77:10-15.

The Hope of the Gospel - Ps 77:16-20.

Today, as we celebrate Dorothy’s life, I appeal to you, if you do not have this hope in Jesus, take time to talk with me and I would be delighted to show you how you can have it.

Her life will be most honored if, through her death, you find your way to an intimate relationship with God and/or strengthen and deepen your passion for and intimacy with that God.

In our times of suffering and grief, our hope comes from the truth that Jesus love us enough to die for OUR sin to make a way for us to be restored to a right relationship to Him.

It is my prayer today for you that you would find comfort and strength in that truth and by finding or strengthening your relationship to God.