Donna Boston Celebration of Life

Welcome & Prayer

Song - This is Not My Home

Reading of the Obituary

Donna Lynn (Johnston) Boston was born on September 11, 1949 to Bernie & Pansy Johnston in Belen, NM where she attended local schools.

On August 22, 1979 she was united in marriage to Max Boston and with their two precious children son John and daughter Kimberly, they enjoyed 42 years of life together, living in Florida, Kansas and New Mexico.

Donna enjoyed arts and crafts and serving the Lord. She is survived by her husband, Max, mother, Pansy, sister Jeanne, brothers Ronnie & Larry, daughter Kim and son John and his wife Allison, Three grandchildren, Laurell, Levi & Annabell and a dear loving church family. Donna went to be with the Lord Jesus on the morning of May 27, 2022.

We are here this morning to celebrate and rejoice in the life of Donna Boston and the blessings God has given to each of us through her. Each one of us is here this afternoon because God has blessed us with her, whether as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, or fellow servant of and sister in Jesus Christ. She had a love for the Lord that was contagious. Here in just a moment, we will get to hear testimonies of her love for Christ and her love for those around her. While we mourn her absence, we can also celebrate knowing that she is in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Song - 10,000 Reasons

Memories by Family & Friends

Sermon - The Way, the Truth & The Life

Introduction

On behalf of the Boston and Johnston families, I would like to thank everyone for being here today as we honor and celebrate the life of Donna Boston.

You are here because you know what an amazing woman of God she was. She loved her family and friends and most importantly she loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She prayed for all her family to come and know Christ the way she did. She went on a mission trip to France in order to tell others about Jesus Christ. Something else I also learned was she was greatly supportive of the prison ministry led by Linda Brown. She would donate money to her constantly so girls in the prison could have money to call Linda when they needed her. she wanted to further and expand the ministry of the gospel to those who desperately needed it.

Donna is in the Presence of Christ Today

While we are saddened by her absence with us today, we are celebrating because we know where she is at today. She is not lost to us because we know where she is at.

In John 14, before He died on the cross, rose from the grave, and ascended back to the Father, Jesus told His disciples that He would soon be leaving. But He told them not to worry because He was going to prepare a place for them. This place was going to be a new home in His presence. we would not always be separated from our Lord and Savior.

read John 14:1-6

John 14:1–6 ESV

“Let not 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 go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In Jewish culture, when a man became engaged to be married to a young woman, he would return home to his father’s house to prepare a room for him and his bride. This would be a room added on to the house of his father. So Jesus, in the imagery of a bride groom preparing a place for his wife, was telling His disciples and all those who followed Him that He was getting things ready for them to join Him in this eternal and heavenly home.

He is telling His disciples that He would not be gone forever and that one day they and us, would be able to see Jesus and get to spend eternity in His presence. For those who place their faith in Christ, they become a part of the church, the bride of Christ, and they will have a place reserved for them in His presence.

This means, because of Donna’s relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, she has gotten to enter into this place that has been made and reserved for her. She is no longer hurting from the cancer that invaded her body and from the stroke that weakened her. She has been made well and whole again as she has entered into her new home. So, with tears in our eyes, we celebrate her life today because we rejoice that she is where Christ is in the place that He has prepared for her.

The question for us today is, how do we get to the place Christ is preparing for His people? This is a question that Donna wants us all to ask and to find the answer to, because she wanted everyone she knew to be in the presence of Jesus, her Lord and Savior. We know this because of her desire to share the good news of Jesus with her family and friends, and even with people around the world she did not even know, such as those in France, or even within the prison through the ministry that Linda Brown has so faithfully led. Donna truly loved Christ and wanted others to be with Him. So how do we enter into His presence the way Donna has?

There is Only One Way to Eternal Life

Thomas also asked this same question. He said, Lord, show us the way because we don’t know how to get there. According to Jesus in this passage, they did know the way because they knew Him. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Do you want to know how to get to the place Jesus has prepared for us? There is only one way to get there. Some people say, it doesn’t matter how you get there, just try to be as good as you can. Or just be true to yourself or worship whatever god you desire. But Jesus says there is only one way to get to the place that He is preparing for us and that is through Christ Jesus Himself.

Jesus is telling us, I am making a place for you, but there is only one way to find a place with Him, if you will come to Jesus in faith and repentance. But if we will not come through Him, there will be no place for us to stay and we will be forever separated from God. If Donna were here right now, she would plead with us to come to God through Christ.

Do Not Wait to Make Your Reservation

But not only do we need to know that it is only through Christ that we can have a place with God, we need to turn to Him today, because we do not know how long we have.

Now there is always more room available for those who come to God through Christ. There is not a danger of Christ running out of room for those who come to Him. But there is a danger of running out of time. If we are to come to Christ, we must come to Him either before we die or before Christ returns for His church. And we do not know when either of those days will be.

Donna is with Christ because she turned to Him in faith and repentance before her day came. The only way you and I can be with Christ for eternity is if we come to Him before we die. And we know that day is coming for us.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Sadly, no one escapes the reality of death. And when death comes, we will face the judgment.

Will we face judgment on our own, or will we face it with Christ as our defender and justifier?

No matter how good we think we are, all of us are sinners deserving of eternal separation from God.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

However, the good news of the Gospel is

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We do not have to enter judgment on our own, but Christ will intercede for all those who trust in Him. Through Christ, we can have our sin forgiven and washed away so we can have eternal life.

Do not wait or put this off.

2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Today is the favorable time for us. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, but we do know that we have right now. We can make our reservation with Christ today by placing our faith and trust in Him and repenting of our sins and we can be assured that we will get to join Donna and have a place with God for all of eternity.

Invitation - Amazing Grace

Dismissal