Pentecost Season · Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year A
1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
October 25, 2026

Overview & Insights
“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
Address and Greeting 1:1 Paul frequently associates himself with others in the prescripts of his letters (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1f.; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philem. 1). In most cases it must be doubted that the others made any material contribution to the letters, being named simply out of courtesy, and so in this case. The letter bears all the hallmarks of a Pauline epistle (see Introduction on The Authenticity of 1 Thessalonians and disc. on 3:1), such that it is difficult to believe that Silas and Timothy had any hand in what was written apart from giving Paul an up-to-date report on the situation in Thessalonica and some counsel as to what should be said to the church of the Thessalonians. Silas and Timothy had, of course, shared with Paul in the establishment of that church, and Timothy had only recently returned (as we suppose) from revisiting the scene of their former labors.
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Commentary
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (Second Reading) Working Preacher
Scholarly exegesis of the opening chapter that contains these verses.
1 Thessalonians 1 verse by verse Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's evangelical, verse-by-verse commentary on the chapter.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 commentaries BibleHub
A stack of classic commentaries gathered at these verses.
1 Thessalonians 1 commentaries StudyLight
A second aggregator carrying a different set of classic commentators.
Thirtieth Sunday readings (Cycle A) Agape Bible Study
A Catholic verse-by-verse study that treats this Second Reading in context.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why does Paul give thanks for them?
Opening his earliest letter, Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians’ “work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope,” and for how their turning from idols became known everywhere (1 Thessalonians 1:1–10).
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