We have all Received Grace

Christmas can be a busy and stressful time, struggling to buy presents and bring the family together for a meal. It can be a lonely time, looking out the window at the Christmas lights sitting alone in an unheated house that doesn't feel like a home anymore. It can be a difficult time for those struggling with addictions, just one more drink to get through or another deal on the shopping channels that can't be resisted. It can be putting a smile on and a Christmas jumper to try and get through the day as if everything is fine.

Christmas isn't about a meal or how much we spend on presents, it isn't about bright Christmas lights shining through the rain, but about the Light that shines in the darkness. It is about love even in the darkest times and the gift that can be given even when there is no room in the inn.

John 1: 14 - 18 (NIV)

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

The gift of Christmas is the personal and enduring relationship that Jesus has with every one of us, both individually and as God's family. It is Emmanuel, God with us, in our lives and in our hearts not just for one day but a gift for all time - Grace, Truth, Joy and Love.

Please pray for all our CAP clients this Christmas, that it will be a time of peace and rest, free from the worry of debt. Pray that the message of Jesus' love that our team bring with them will be a gift, not just for Christmas or the CAP journey, but for all their lives whatever the future may hold.

Please pray for our debt coaches, John and Pat and for all the team that support them, that Christmas would be a time of rest and refreshment.