Funeral Cromley

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you so much for being here today. Your presence means more than you probably realize.

My name is Pastor Blake, and it is truly an honor to share this time with you.

Celebrations of Life are always unique gatherings. In one room you'll find laughter and tears. You'll hear stories that make everyone smile, and then, almost without warning, someone will remember just how much they miss the person they love.

That's because love leaves a mark.

The deeper we love, the deeper we grieve.

The Bible never tells us that grieving is wrong. In fact, Jesus Himself stood at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, and the shortest verse in all of Scripture simply says:

"Jesus wept." (John 11:35)

The Son of God knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, yet He still wept.

Why?

Because death was never part of God's original design. Death hurts because sin broke what God intended to last forever.

So today, if you've cried, that's okay.

If you've laughed remembering Dolores, that's okay too.

If you've done both in the same five minutes...welcome to a funeral.

That's exactly what love looks like.

Today we gather to celebrate an incredible life.

Ninety-four years.

Just think about that for a moment.

Dolores entered this world in 1931.

Nearly a century of life.

Nearly a century of memories.

Nearly a century of loving people well.

And yet, after everything she experienced during those ninety-four years, I believe the greatest thing Dolores ever saw happened on June 25.

Because that was the day faith became sight.

That was the day she saw Jesus.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

For those who belong to Christ, death is not the closing of the story.

It is the opening of eternity.

It is not goodbye forever.

It is "I'll see you again."

That is the hope that gathers us today.

Now, if you've spent any amount of time with this family, you know Dolores wasn't just someone who existed for ninety-four years.

She lived.

She loved.

She invested in people.

She made memories.

She built a family.

What an incredible legacy.

When most people think about leaving a legacy, they think about buildings, businesses, accomplishments, or money.

But Scripture teaches something different.

Psalm 127 says that children are a heritage from the Lord.

A family that loves one another is one of God's greatest gifts.

As I read through Dolores' life, I couldn't help but notice that her greatest accomplishments weren't listed as awards or achievements.

They were people.

Children.

Grandchildren.

Great-grandchildren.

Great-great-grandchildren.

Generation after generation touched because one woman faithfully loved her family.

And isn't that exactly how most of us want to be remembered?

Not because we accumulated the most.

Not because we owned the nicest things.

But because people knew they were loved.

From everything I've heard, Dolores had a way of making people feel exactly that.

She welcomed people.

She fed people.

She laughed with people.

She prayed for people.

She loved deeply.

Apparently, if you came to her house, there was a good chance you weren't leaving hungry.

In the Bible, some of God's greatest moments happened around a table.

And I imagine there are many people in this room who will forever connect the smell of homemade Italian food with the love of Dolores.

It's funny how God gives us memories like that.

Sometimes a song can bring someone back.

Sometimes it's a smell.

Sometimes it's a recipe.

Sometimes it's hearing a phrase they always said.

Little phrases.

Simple words.

But they become priceless after someone we love is gone.

Those little expressions become reminders that we were deeply loved.

You know, one of the beautiful things about a life like Dolores' is that it reminds us of something we often forget.

Life isn't ultimately measured in years.

It's measured in love.

When all is said and done, that's what remains.

The people we've loved.

The lives we've touched.

The faith we've lived.

One of the things I appreciated most as I learned more about Dolores was discovering that her life wasn't centered on herself.

It was centered on serving others.

She volunteered.

She stayed active in her church.

She loved her community.

She loved her neighbors.

She loved her family.

Her faith wasn't something she simply talked about.

It shaped the way she lived.

Because as wonderful as Dolores was—and by every account she truly was a remarkable woman—we are not gathered here today because she was perfect.

We're gathered because she knew the One who is.

The Bible tells us in Romans 3 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Every one of us.

That means every person in this room has made mistakes.

Every one of us has regrets.

Every one of us has things we wish we could go back and change.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

But here's the incredible news of the gospel.

God knew that.

He knew we could never earn heaven on our own.

So instead of waiting for us to climb our way to Him...

He came to us.

Jesus Christ lived the perfect life we never could.

He died the death we deserved.

Three days later He rose again, defeating sin and death forever.

That's why Christians don't place their hope in being good enough.

Our hope has never been in ourselves.

Our hope has always been in Jesus.

Listen to the words Jesus spoke to His disciples the night before He went to the cross.

Imagine the comfort these words must have brought then.

Imagine the comfort they bring today.

John 14:1–6

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going."

"Lord," Thomas said, "we don't know where You're going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus told him,

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

I absolutely love those words.

Notice what Jesus doesn't say.

He doesn't say, "Try harder."

He doesn't say, "Be religious enough."

He doesn't say, "Do enough good things."

He doesn't say, "Hopefully you'll make it."

Instead, He says,

"I am the way."

Because heaven isn't earned.

It's received.

It's received through faith in Jesus Christ.

That is the confidence Dolores had.

And that's why, even though today is painful, today is also filled with hope.

You know, when someone reaches ninety-four years old, people often say, "She lived a full life."

And that's true.

But even ninety-four years is only a sentence compared to eternity.

One day every one of us sitting in this room will have our own funeral.

Someone will tell stories.

Someone will remember the things we loved.

Someone will smile through tears.

The only question is...

Will we be ready to meet the Lord?

I don't ask that to create fear.

I ask it because that's exactly the question Jesus lovingly asks every one of us.

He has already done everything necessary for our salvation.

The invitation is simply to trust Him.

And if Dolores were able to speak to us today, I don't think she'd want this service to be mostly about her.

I think she'd want it to point to the Savior she loved.

She would want every member of her family...

Every grandchild...

Every great-grandchild...

Every friend...

Every neighbor...

To know the same peace that carried her through this life and safely into the next.

Because the greatest inheritance she could leave is a faith that points people to Jesus Christ.

That's a legacy that never fades.

That's a legacy that echoes into eternity.

And friends, that's the kind of legacy worth living for.

That's a legacy that never fades.

That's a legacy that echoes into eternity.

And friends, that's the kind of legacy worth living for.

As we come toward the close of our time together, I want to leave you with one more passage of Scripture. Whenever I have the privilege of standing with a family like this, these are some of the verses I return to again and again.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to believers who were grieving the loss of people they loved.

Listen carefully to what he says.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.

For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words."

Did you notice what Paul says?

He doesn't say Christians don't grieve.

He says Christians don't grieve without hope.

There is a tremendous difference.

The Book of Revelation tells us that He wipes every tear from our eyes.

Death will be no more.

Grief will be no more.

Crying will be no more.

Pain will be no more.

Because the former things have passed away.

That's where Dolores is today.

Not because she earned it.

Not because she lived a perfect life.

But because Jesus lived the perfect life for her, died in her place, rose again, and she placed her faith in Him.

That is the gospel.

That is our hope.

And that is why today, even through our tears, we can say with confidence:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Family, I know the coming days won't be easy.

Life will begin moving again.

But your grief may not.

Give yourselves grace.

Tell the stories.

Make the recipes.

Look through the old pictures.

Laugh until your stomach hurts.

Cry when you need to cry.

Talk about her often.

Don't be afraid that mentioning her name will make someone sad.

For most families, it's actually the opposite.

One of the greatest gifts you can give someone who is grieving is simply reminding them that the person they loved is not forgotten.

Let them know about the woman who loved Jesus...

who loved her family...

who welcomed everyone into her home...

who made enough lasagna to feed half the neighborhood...

who greeted people with a joyful "Howdy!"...

and who made everyone feel like they belonged.

That's how a legacy lives on.

Not simply in photographs.

But in the lives of the people she shaped.

Let's pray.

Father,

Today we thank You for the life of Dolores.

Thank You for ninety-four wonderful years.

Thank You for her love.

Thank You for her faith.

Thank You for her kindness, her generosity, her laughter, and the countless ways she reflected Your goodness to the people around her.

Lord, we thank You most of all for Jesus Christ.

Thank You that because of His death and resurrection, death does not have the final word.

Thank You that the grave is not the end for those who trust in You.

Today I pray especially for this family.

Would You surround them with Your peace?

Would You strengthen them in the difficult days ahead?

Would You comfort them when the house feels quiet?

Would You remind them that You are near to the brokenhearted and that You never leave nor forsake Your children?

Help them smile through the tears as they remember the gift that Dolores was to each of them.

And Lord, for every one of us here today, help us to number our days wisely.

Help us to love deeply.

Help us to forgive freely.

Help us to live faithfully.

And when our own race is finished, may we too hear those wonderful words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

We ask all of this in the powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Thank you all so much for being here today. On behalf of the family, thank you for your love, your prayers, and your support. Please continue to surround them in the days and weeks ahead, because while today's service comes to an end, their journey of grief continues.