To
read: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel
before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may
see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our
God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the
Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as
we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that
you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his saints.Text from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To think about:
Early in Advent, on December 6, the church observes the Feast of St. Nicholas.
Many families observe the day by filling the children's shoes with treats of
oranges and chocolate "coins." St. Nicholas, who died in 343, is a beloved saint
whose tradition outweighs the facts that are known about his life. He was bishop
of Myra in Asia Minor, which is Demre, Turkey, today. Nicholas is remembered for
his charity and humility. Stories associated with his deeds, which surely have a
basis in fact, include his rescuing lost children, saving shipwrecked sailors at
sea, and saving a family's three daughters from being sold into slavery by
providing bags of gold as dowries for their weddings. The gold-covered chocolate
coins given to children today commemorate Nicholas's act of charity long ago.
St. Paul's simple but touching words to the Christians at Thessalonika remind us that human love is a gift of God. St. Paul is grateful for his own beloved friends, but his words are an appropriate expression of love any of us feel for our family and friends. We especially think of the love of those who are separated from one another by distance or by war or even by death. We thank God for those who are generous St. Nicholases in our lives.
St. Paul's simple but touching words to the Christians at Thessalonika remind us that human love is a gift of God. St. Paul is grateful for his own beloved friends, but his words are an appropriate expression of love any of us feel for our family and friends. We especially think of the love of those who are separated from one another by distance or by war or even by death. We thank God for those who are generous St. Nicholases in our lives.
