By JIM McDONALD

 As we prepare to close the year 2021 it is actually a time for the celebration of Advent, the time of anticipation of the birth/sacrifice of God’s son, Jesus.

This earthly holy birth is a monumental event that demonstrated God’s grace by reiterating His eternal and profound love for everyone. As a result we muster an extravagant amount of enthusiasm to celebrate Christmas and the days leading up to it. This ultimate gift from God reinforces our degree of hope, which is a reasonable expectation, of our salvation from our multifarious sins and enables us to proceed to heaven when our time here ends.

This escape from eternal damnation cannot be obtained in any other way than our belief and acceptance of Christ as our individual Savior. So our celebration of this event is a time of jubilation. Our family is all in for this celebration and we expect yours is too. Praise the Lord!

Jim McDonald is a member of Wylie United Methodist Church and the Abilene Association of Congregations