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Advent 1

Devotional
First Sunday of Advent - C
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Stephen P. McCutchan
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?
-- 1 Thessalonians 3:9

In our individualistic society, we often neglect the power of the faith of the larger body to affect our lives. In this letter, Paul was writing to the Thessalonians in a time in which he himself was enduring considerable persecution and suffering (1 Thessalonians 3:4, 7). Timothy had just returned with a report that the Thessalonians had been keeping Paul and his companions in their thoughts and prayers.

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