Psalm 96:1-9 / I Thessalonians 1:1-10

During the last five Sundays of the Christian liturgical year I will be preaching from I Thessalonians. This letter is held to be Paul’s earliest, dating from around 50 CE. It is an encouraging letter, for its original audience and for us.

Read the entire letter as if it is written to you.

As you read I Thessalonians 1:1-10, note the times when Paul’s message is reassuring and encouraging. How do you react to this tone?

What does it mean to you to “[become] imitators of us and of the Lord”? (I Thessalonians 1:6)

Take your time with I Thessalonians 1:9-10. Ponder your own faith journey. Have you “turned to God from idols”? Do you “wait for [God’s] Son from heaven”?