In the letter to Romans, Paul tells us how he rejoices because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ. I marvel at Paul’s energy and enthusiasm for the Gospel. Christmas is a time of joy; yet many people find it stressful and for some there are the painful memories of a close bond that has been broken by death. The disciples must have felt this when the Christ whose birth we celebrate was taken from them. Without the power of the Holy Spirit they would not have had His words to comfort them and we would not have had the Church. Where would we be without His words?

Our commitment is to spreading the Word of God and in the first six months of this financial year we have produced as many cards as we did in the whole of the previous year. The enthusiasm of our Trustees is proving to be a great support and encouragement to our work. We are bubbling over with ideas, yet we have to be careful not to become overconfident, but keep our confidence firmly grounded in the Love of God and the Grace of Jesus.

Last month I met someone who had been given a card four years ago. In the intervening years she had been working abroad but had to return to this country for a hospital appointment. She produced it from her purse and told me how much she valued it. I was delighted to see that it had not faded or deteriorated with the passage of time.

Our cards are being sent all over the world. In August 400 cards with Russian text went to children in Belarus. This month we are sending a selection of cards in the ‘Shona’ language to the World Council of Churches meeting at Harare. Yet knowing that a generation which is ignorant of the Word of God is growing up in Scotland, our future plans are to link with Scottish Churches who are willing to tackle this problem.